Unrequested Love
by o0No-e-mi0o
Summary: The Golden Trio is back at Hogwarts to finish their seventh year. However, Hermione starts behaving in an a rather odd and inappropiate way, which ends up involving professor Snape help to get her back to normal, while trying to figure out the reason for this complete mess.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

 **Warning** : I am not an English native speaker, so I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake you may find.

 **Chapter 1:**

All of the students were sitting at the Great Hall table, getting ready for a new and long day of classes. The war was over about 5 months ago, enough time to magically rebuild Hogwarts, or the most important parts of it, though some buildings still remained closed in order to keep Hogwarts as a "safe place". However, the students were a complete different topic, many of them ended up physically or mentally affected, reason why there was a complete St. Mungo's wing dedicated for them.

This was not the case of the golden trio, who were doing pretty fine after the war. Of course they required some medical care, and especially psychological treatment to help them realize the war was finally over, for good this time, but once the doctors were convinced there was nothing wrong, they were ready to return to classes and finish their last year at Hogwarts… or start, actually, though they were quite qualified for a war, they were beyond ignorance in other magical aspects, which was only logical considering they had not been attending any class in an extended period of time. Yes, they could handle a Death Eater, but how about a herbology class?

The three of them were sitting at the Gryffindor table, having some breakfast. When the owls arrived, Hermione sighed and sit still; waiting for what she knew was coming. A not minor amount of letters hit the table in front of them, more specifically, in front of Harry.

"Haven't you told them you are dating Ginny yet?" She asked, not bothering in hiding her annoyance.

"I have, but they won't stop sending them." Harry took one of the letters and started reading it in silence. "Here, you see? They are quite aware of it." He handed it to Hermione, but it was taken by Ron, who seemed pretty uncomfortable with the current discussion.

"Dear Harry" He started to read. "I've heard you are dating Ginny Weasley, but I was hoping you may reconsider your options now that you are a true hero of war." Ron didn't mind showing his rising rage, he stopped reading and threw the letter to the pile "Please, tell me you are not falling for this! You may be my best friend, but if you ever cheat on my sister I-".

"Enough, Ron!" He was interrupted by Hermione. "I am sure Harry is not even considering all of this." She stated, looking at Harry with some concern, though.

"I won't! Come on, guys! I really like Ginny, and I don't even know these girls… "

"And you never will!" Ron punched the table, spilling Hermione's juice, who quickly stood up, trying to escape from the mess.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" She was surprised at this, and also mad. She didn't mean to be dramatic or make a fuss about some juice being spilled. No, it was because she has been through a lot in the last months, the war was one thing, but trying to keep a relationship with a boy who was clearly not paying attention to her at all was overwhelming. It was pretty romantic at the beginning, the small details, the silly poems, even the creepy mutual staring, but forgetting her birthday was a complete different thing. The man could spend a whole afternoon watching quidditch, just to finish the day by saying "good match!" and falling asleep. This is certainly not what Hermione was expecting for her relationship. So she ended it up. Things were really awkward for a couple weeks, but they were doing better recently; until the juice incident.

"Jeez, Herms! I'm so so sorry! Lemme help you!" Ron stood up as well, holding a napkin he tried to approach Hermione, but was stopped.

"No! Thank you, I think I can handle this myself, I'll just go change, see you at classes." She was grabbing her stuff, but was interrupted by Harry, receiving some signs by Ron.

"Ehm, Hermione! I know you are in a hurry right now, but… you know we had this homework for Slughorn, and…"

"Aaaaaand…?" She knew where this was going, thus she didn't like it.

"Aaaaand… we are back in the quidditch team, so..."

"Sooooo…?"

"So… Could you lend us yours?" Harry finished asking, though it sounded more like he burped it.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I've already told you, you NEED to do your own homework or you will never learn! Besides, it was not THAT hard, you should thank professor Snape isn't teaching anymore." Though this was not how she felt about him, most students were glad he left. After surviving Nagini's attack he has stayed in St. Mungo's for what seemed an eternity and most people started to believe the rumors of him going insane and some other hideous side effects. However, one thing was certain: He was not returning, Slughorn was quite comfortable in his role. After stating the last, Hermione just grabbed her stuff and rushed to the dorms.

She did have enough time to go change, so that was the plan, but she was not considering some inconveniences as a prefect in her way, such as helping first year students identify ingredients and lecturing third year students on the appropriate use of the levitating charm according to the rules. She loved being a prefect, it meant so much for her, however, it has recently become overwhelming, since this was her final year and she intended to excel in all of her N.E.W.T.s.

After she was done, she was worrying it may be too late, so she ran to the potions classroom, finding out she was the only one "I must be the first one..." She turned around looking for anyone else, and as she didn't bring any watch with her, she decided to simply wait for the others to come, it shouldn't take them long. She sat down in her usual spot, taking out the potions book to read meanwhile, when someone entered the room.

"… Professor?" Right there, a few steps from her, was standing Severus Snape himself.

"Miss Granger" He nodded, as a way of greeting, and then added "May I comment on how eager you seem to be for learning today?" As Hermione remained with her mouth slightly open, trying to figure out what to say, or how to act, in front of the man that she assumed would never see again, Snape continued "Shall I assume because of your silence that my presence here is just as… unexpected as yours?".

"Yes! I mean… yes, sir, I'm sorry, I didn't really mean to be so apparently early for the class, I do not even know what time is it, I just-".

"Save your words, Miss Granger, you must be the first student in Hogwarts history to apologize for being early."

"I wasn't apologizing, I was just-"

"Excusing yourself…? Pardon my misunderstanding, the word sorry is more likely used for apologizing."

"… yes." How is that he always left her feeling down? Even after all these years, she still felt as a silly first year student looking for recognition where obviously there was none. She started to feel numb, so she sat down, just as Snape did at his desk. Hermione was trying not to focus on him, reading through the pages, but it was completely impossible, what was he doing here? Was he going to continue teaching? Was this even real? Because she had to admit that her being alone in a class with the phantom of a man was completely surreal. The numb feeling was becoming dizziness, but she couldn't quite tell why, and especially why now? She couldn't simply pass out in front of professor Snape, would he even notice? He seemed pretty immerse in whatever he was doing with those scrolls.

Hermione stood up, feeling like she was floating on clouds, and though the words "sit down and wait, sit down and wait" didn't stop repeating in her brain, she walked towards Snape's desk, till she was right in front of him.

"Is something the matter, Miss Granger…?" Snape asked, while leaving his feather pen on the table and raising his head.

What happened next was, by far, the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him, even considering all of Voldemort and Dumbledore's missions. Hermione leaned over the desk and kissed him.

It was so unexpected that Snape just remained there for a few seconds, unable to process what was happening, before abruptly moving backwards and exclaiming "What the -". This appeared to have some effect on the young witch, who also removed from the desk, looking rather disoriented.

"Excuse me!" Said before running away, leaving all her stuff behind, and having no clear destination, because there was no place on Earth to hide from the current embarrassment she was feeling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Warning** : I am not an English native speaker, so I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake you may find.

 **Chapter 2:**

Hermione was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, re-evaluating her entire life. What did she do? Why did she do it? What were going to be the consequences for her actions? Has it ever happened before? She couldn't quite think of any historical fact in "Hogwarts: the history" or even gossip about a student assaulting a professor… but then, that was clearly not an appropriate topic, so it was very unlikely to be part of any academic book.

She was clear about something; she held no romantic feelings for her professor. And though there was admiration and respect for him, it was never beyond that, not even after his memories' revelation. From the very beginning she recognized him as a very valuable and respectful teacher, but after knowing about his reasons to follow Voldemort, to sacrifice so much, she came to realize how much of a person he really was. That is why she secretly cried the day the Order was notified he had survived, many of her therapy sessions were not for helping deal with the loss of war, but to overcome the feeling of guiltiness for leaving him behind, thinking he had died.

It was different now; he appeared to be doing just fine, returning to Hogwarts for not clarified reasons, which tormented her, was she having classes with him? Maybe he was just back to get his stuff and return home for some time, retirement maybe. But, again, if he was back, and he seemed sound and safe, why would he leave? No… he was teaching, but what about professor Slughorn? There were just too many questions she couldn't handle, especially the most important one, if he was to stay around… what was she supposed to say? A simple "sorry" didn't sound good enough.

She embraced her pillow, suffocating a scream. If it was not her who kissed him, but him who kissed her… what would she like to hear? It would be such a scandal… sexual harassment, a good enough reason to fire someone; to lose a life reputation… was that going to happen to her? Lose her so-hard-to-win reputation? Yep, that was her now, Hermione the Sexually Stalker. And then, it hit her, what if he told the headmistress?!

The mortified girl quickly sat down, heavily breathing; this was quite an appropriate reason to expel a student! All her job until now was nothing next to jumping on a professor… and not any professor, even Flitwick seemed a more reasonable kissing objective in comparison. "Professor McGonagall must know, she must surely know". Hermione stood up and started walking in circles, repeating all over again what she was sure was going to happen "I'll be expelled, that's it, expelled, expelled in my final year at Hogwarts, I'll never become neither an auror, neither a professor, I will most likely have to return to a muggle life, Hermione the Sexually Stalker who can obviously not control herself will never be able to accomplish her goals, not even after all these years of-". Someone was knocking the door. She swallowed, maybe a professor, or another prefect to notify her she was expelled for indecorous behavior.

"Hermione? Are you in?" It was Ron's voice, still a prefect, still possibly expelled.

"We brought your stuff, Snape said you were feeling ill and left early, so we-". The door was slammed open in a sudden, causing Harry to back up and make an effort to not fall.

"What did he say?"

"That you left the class because you weren't feeling well and to return your belongings, as he called them." His eyes showed concern, while inspecting Hermione's face.

"Yep, belongings." Ron exclaimed as if it was a much peculiar word to be used. "How are you feeling? I could walk you to the hospital wing."

"That won't be necessary; I'm feeling much better now." She took her books and supplies from Harry's arms, and hesitated in adding "Did he… say anything else?"

"Actually, yes" She felt her heart speed up "and not just him, Herms, there was a complete speech by professor Slughorn in the Great Hall."

"The exact moment you left! It was like they were waiting for you to leave the room."

"… A speech? By professor Slughorn? What was it- give me a minute" Turning around to left her belongings on her desk, it was against the rules to have opposite sex guests in the private rooms, so she returned to the door, having a bad feeling about this so called speech "Ok, I'm listening".

"Professor Slughorn gave a complete and extended speech on how much he was going to miss us, but he was no longer qualified to teach, because of time, memory, and so on… and at the very end, he added..."

"Professor Snape is back to teach potions… and he encouraged us to give him an applause, even though he was not in the Great Hall." Of course he was not. Hermione felt like she was going to throw out.

"That's why all of us were late for class… but you also knew that, you were there on time."

"Sure I was!" There was annoyance in her voice, she was quite angry, if only she would have been till the speech in the Great Hall… Both of the boys looked at each other.

"Easy, Herms… nobody loves professor Snape teaching techniques, you should have been in his class, one would think that because of everything that happened, he would now be more empathic, but he is still…" Harry looked for the right words, and when he was unable to find them, Ron spoke.

"Bad, mean, cold-hearted?"

"Not exactly… but those may do… you should have seen Ron's face when he called us to tell us about you." Hermione paled.

"I honestly thought he was going to ground us because of the mess of a potion we did."

"But he did not, you see? Maybe he did change."

"… I think I'm feeling ill again, I better get some rest."

"Sure thing, let us know if you need anything!"

"We'll be at the common room!" Both of them left. Leaving a confused Hermione to close her door and sit at the floor. Then, she looked at the timetable in the wall; there were two days before the next potions class. One thing was certain, Snape hasn't said anything to anyone yet… was he going to? She considered going to talk to him right away, explain him the situation… but explain what? How she had this unaccountable urge to kiss him for no apparent reason? And how this was never going to happen again?

She decided to wait till the next day, in the safety of the overcrowded Great Hall she would be able to measure the environment and know how far this has gone, maybe she was just over analyzing everything, maybe this was not the first time this happened and professor Snape had just forgotten about the girl who kissed him in the morning.

However, her Gryffindor side appeared to be hiding somewhere else, because she was still not prepared to go outside and face professor Snape, she just didn't feel ready, but she couldn't stay in her room forever, especially considering she had nothing but breakfast the day before. However, this inside battle didn't take long, since someone knocked on her door again; she remained silence, the paranoia still part of her.

"Hermione? It's me, Ginny, are you in?".

She left a sigh of relief, and opened the door, noticing the concern in Ginny's eyes. "Good morning, Ginny."

"How are you? The guys told me you weren't feeling good and I got worried when I didn't see you coming downstairs… what is it?"

 _Oh, it's nothing, just the fact I kissed Snape, is possible to die for embarrassment? I might be already dead._ Thinking all of this, giving no answer while Ginny still looked at her, seemed to set some alarms on her friend. "You are acting we-"

Hermione wasn't ready to face any question or to defend herself, so she quickly interrupted Ginny. "My stomach! It is my stomach… I think I ate something yesterday, I am feeling much better now, though."

"Oh! Ok… so… you going to the Great Hall now? You still need to eat something."

"… Yes, I was just thinking-"

"I can bring you something if you still want to rest." _Oh Ginny, such an angel!._

"Can you? That would be great, I still have to prepare for the following classes, and finish an essay."

"Hermione Jean Granger has not finished one of her essays? You sure you are not hiding something from me?" _Clever angel._

"I'm hiding nothing, I just couldn't focus on the essay yesterday because of the… pain." It was actually true; the whole situation was a pain in the ass.

"I'll bring you something light to easy your stomach, then, be right back!" Ginny left and Hermione closed the door behind her. She decided to focus on her essay for transfigurations, that would be a good start, if at the moment of handing her essay to McGonagall, who in spite of being the current Headmistress insisted on teaching to sixth and seventh year students, didn't say a thing, Hermione could relax about the expulsion or any significant punishment, since she didn't even recall being taken points.

The time came, after eating a sandwich and having some tea, she was ready to deal with all the classes, but potions, that would be tomorrow's problem. Sitting in her desk, she paid extreme attention to all of professor McGonagall's movements, as if somehow there could be any clue. But there were none, she waited to the very end of the class, and for all of the other students to leave, handed her essay, noticed nothing but the usual smile, and left the room.

Now, this was it, she felt her body relax, professor Snape had said nothing.

Hermione spent the rest of her day attending her other classes, preparing her work and trying to act "as normal as always", she has already decided that she was not going to over think the topic anymore, if professor Snape didn't mind it, why would she?

Until potions class the next day, she didn't even have breakfast, fearing to throw out anything that could be in her. Instead of sitting as usual, this time she took place at the end of the class, together with Harry and Ron who just followed her, considering it a nice change, using Neville as a consistent excuse for it. "He may want us to work in pairs again, I better sit with Neville." She said.

When professor Snape entered the room, she felt like her heart was coming out her mouth. Though, it was not quite as menacing as before, he seemed to move somehow slower, maybe because of the wound, or maybe this was also intended, since it allowed him to be more discrete, it was not menacing, but sure it was terrifying.

He stopped in front of the room, crossing his arms; he waited a few seconds while inspecting the class, and then exclaimed "I hope you all have done a quite outstanding research in today's potion as it was requested." And she panicked. What research? Nobody said anything about a research to her. She turned to see Ron and Harry, who were paling and making signs of how sorry they were. She breathed, maybe she knew the potion, and could handle it, or even ask Neville as an ultimate resource.

"May someone clarify its properties?" Nobody said anything, and she started fearing the man could take her as an example, torturing her as a subtle punishment, just as he did with Harry in first year. Much to her surprise, Ron raised his hand, understanding he was doing it as some kind of apology. And though he was the only one with the hand in the air… Professor Snape called her name "Miss Granger, perhaps?"

"But, Ron-"

"When I want Ronald Weasley's opinion, I will ask for Ronald Weasley's opinion." Woooow, ok, this was clearly about her. But maybe he was just doing it to check out if she took her time to properly ask about her duties, which she didn't.

"I… I don't know, sir." Snape raised a brow, while some whispers started around the room.

"You. Don't. Know." He said while slowly moving towards her "Could you hand me your essay on the unknown topic?" He was definitely torturing her. But she was already half way to it, so she just breathed and answered, clear and loud, for all of the whisperers to hear.

"I didn't do it, sir." She stated the last, while looking right into his eyes.

"Five points from Gryffindor for irresponsible behavior." That was not so bad, now we can move on. "And you are not qualified for this lesson, so you may as well take your belongings and leave the room" She opened her mouth, not sure if to protest or just because it was completely unexpected "... detention, seven o'clock at my office to discuss what is truly expected from a seventh year Hogwarts student." After saying the last part, he turned on his heels and went back to the front of the room, while waiting for Hermione to take all her things and leave, still confused for what has just happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 3:**

It was already time to knock on the door and let professor Snape know she had been standing there for ten minutes. She had absolutely no idea what was going on his mind, but she didn't want him to consider her a troublemaker after war or even worse, some arrogant war heroine, so she spent the rest of the day working on the bloody essay, thus she could give it to him and even face a complete trivia about the mysterious potion which she had previously found out was veritaserum.

Holding her breath, the young girl knocked on the door, which was just immediately opened by professor Snape, this was not expected at all, had he been waiting at the door, too?

"Come in" he left her walk in by holding the door completely open, and instantly closing it behind her.

Hermione had only heard rumors about his office, which she had to admit, were quite accurate. It was just as depressing as the potions classroom; almost every wall was covered in books and ingredients. The only pieces of furniture besides of the multiple bookcases were his desk, a small sofa and a coffee table next to it, which also had books on it, though they didn't look as academic as the ones on the bookcases. Snape seemed to realize her eyes on every inch of the room, which made him feel uneasy, deciding there was enough judgment on her face, he invited her to take a seat in the chair opposite to his desk. "Sit."

"Thank you" Completely aware he was not being nice to her, but remembering her good manners, she continued to sit down and leave the essay on the table.

Hermione was expecting for him to sit in the chair in front of her, having a complete desk between them would make her much comfortable, but he remained standing somewhere behind her. This is how rabbits must feel being in a wolf's cave.

"And what would that be?"

"The essay on veritaserum you asked for, I also practiced the ingredients recognition and preparation as you did during classes this morning."

"Trying to prove something?"

"I just would like to continue in potions class, sir, if that is ok for you." She couldn't believe her own tone of voice in the last phrase, implying kicking her out the room earlier was exaggerated.

"… I'll decide that based on your writing, and considering the lateness of it, I expect nothing but an extraordinary analysis."

"I have faith in my job."

"Sure you do…" There was a moment of silence between them, Hermione started to feel the pressure, this was definitely not about the essay, or the class, but what was he waiting for? What did he want?

"I can't avoid noticing… how tense you are, Miss Granger" She felt him close, really close, right behind her, did he touch the chair? Of course she was tense; he was driving her crazy on purpose. "Is there anything you would like to say?" Silence, she was unable to find the correct words, she was back in the first day, thinking a good enough excuse, or even how to bring the topic, _I'm sorry I kissed you, professor, I just couldn't stop myself_ , still wasn't good enough. "… or perhaps, you don't."

"I'm sorry!" She did it, she said it, it was finally out her mouth.

"You. Are. Sorry" Slowly emphasizing every word was not relieving her from the tension. "What would that be for?" _Ooooh, come on!_

"… for not fulfilling my duties as it is expected from a seventh year Hogwarts student." _Good job, Hermione, you are probably just showing how much of a know-it-all you are_. She regretted her words, because one second later professor Snape was right beside her, leaning over the desk just to face her a few inches away.

"Is that it?" She hesitated. "If you speak the truth, and there is nothing else to say in your mind, look me in the eye and explain the reason for avoiding a professor for two days." He knew all along, she had nowhere to hide, because she had no training against legeremens, and though he didn't seem to hold his wand, she feared he was already in her mind.

She avoided the eye contact, and staring at her own essay, exclaimed "I'm sorry for kissing you". Her heart was in her ears, and her cheeks were burning red.

The moment the words were out, Snape withdrew from the desk, and went to sit down in the other side of it. That seemed to be all he wanted, to hear those words from her.

"Why?"

"I don't know" She truly didn't know, but the answers started to flow from her, the cat was already out, there was no coming back, so she just decided to go with it.

"There are a lot of things you seem to not know, recently, ain't I right, miss Granger?"

"I truly don't know, sir. It was not pre-meditated; I remember being in the classroom, reading through the potions book pages, till I just stood up and kissed you, it was just as surprising for me, as I assume it was for you." The man inspected her face, looking for hints of lies, considering his next movement.

"Any other symptoms?"

"I… do remember dizziness, it started as a numb feeling in my arms, but then my head was light, similar to the feeling of passing out by blood loss, I think it was then when I lost control of the situation…" Suddenly, it hit her, she had considered it somehow before, but discarded the idea because it was just too frightening "do you think that I might have been-"

"Under the effects of a potion or charm, indeed." This set her alarms, what charm, what potion could be doing this to her? Why would anyone like to put her under such situation? Snape noticed her sudden anxiety, so he added "Do not despair, it might be over for now… reason why I called you here. You see, Miss Granger, it is not usual for a student to throw herself at a professor… at least, not with Lockhart out of the castle". The expression he used made her blush. "The moment you left I considered the options and as you seem to have been worrying, an infatuation did not cross my mind." Hermione thought what of a sensible man he was, and felt stupid for not thinking about this earlier; she was too busy worrying for the consequences and not thinking in the causes, not really her style. "I thought of amortentia … but you seemed to be really working hard to avoid me, since I couldn't reach to you till this morning, so it was clear you held no obsession over my person."

She sat still, thinking about what the man had just said, did he try to contact her? He appeared to be concerned about the situation, but that much? For one minute she thought of him looking for her at every meal in the Great Hall, or even waiting for her in this same place, as he considered amortentia as an option. She felt bad, for avoiding the man who was just trying to help.

"I was glad to see you appear at the class, I was fearing the unknown effects might have been beyond my expectations, not to mention the exquisite reason you provided me for detention, when I was already thinking in… other ways". She gulped at the last part, how much of a plan had this man done? "None of such matters now…" he paused for a few seconds, re-organizing his thoughts, and added "the question is… How do you feel now?"

"Well… I have not felt like that since then." Quickly realizing his question was intended to ask about her desires to kiss him, she added "I do not feel like that now, either".

"Does that involve others?"

"Excuse me?" She asked for clarification, since she wasn't feeling comfortable talking about her relationships with her potions professor.

"I am asking you if you have done or feel anything abnormal or inappropriate for others in these two days, not just me, and please, have in mind I hold no interest in your romantic life, I just can't allow a student to be under such a potion effects" Of course not, it would be such a scandal.

She stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to recall anything, but finally said "No, I haven't felt like that again". The potions master was to talk, when Hermione added "but, then, I have not been out of my room much, so I have not been with many others..." as she thought of this, she also remembered how less of food she had eaten because of avoiding the man, since there was a strange feeling in her stomach. Suddenly, she could see him talking, but there was no sound, she felt a pinch in her heart, it was happening.

"It seems as whatever has happened to you is gone, I apologize for bothering you with such an uncomfortable theme, but I think it was… necessary at least, now, if you please, you are free to leave, and also to attend my classes, let's just pretend this never happened" She stood up, what he assumed was for leaving as he requested "Actually… maybe you would rather forget it, if you allow me, I could-" he was unable to finish the sentence, since Hermione jumped on his desk, right over her own essay, dropping some of the papers next to it. He quickly stood up, holding his wand, as a reflex of his days as a Death Eater, not intending to use it against her, not yet.

"Miss Granger?" the girl continued to move slowly on the desk, completely over it now. Severus recognized the situation as before, but again, he had no idea of the exact effects of it, so he feared for Hermione's next movement, was she going to kiss him? He was quite aware of it now; he could easily stop her if she attempted it.

"Can you hear me?" The girl just looked up at the man, what he considered a positive answer "Do you recognize me?" he felt kind of stupid, considering the whole scenario, a young girl sitting astride in his desk, obviously victim of some potion or hex and there was he, holding his wand and scared of her movements, though he was almost positive she meant no harm, that was exactly why he feared her. He knew how to defend himself from an attack, but not from this, how much power was he allowed to use with a student when there was no real threat? Sure there were a few harmless charms he could try, but still, he couldn't recall any protocol for this.

"Professor… Snape" She whispered in a rather passive voice, and even though it was highly inappropriate to admit, the Potions Master thought how it sounded slightly provocative.

"I know you can somehow listen to me, so I will ask you to come down the desk and slowly sit down." Immediately later he regretted the way he said slowly, it was definitely not what he wanted to transmit. Since the girl moved in slow motion, not caring about the other papers, supplies, the ink that ended up on the floor, or the fact she was wearing a skirt, allowing to see more than just her legs. For the moment she was done climbing down the desk, Snape had decided she was just a student, who was obviously in need, he had to know what was causing this and fix it as soon as possible. So, he caught her face, in order to examine her expression, it surely didn't seem normal, eyes half closed, blank stare and slow breathing. Not good at all.

All of a sudden, the girl moved forward, pushing him, causing him to step back and fall in his own chair. He damned himself before uselessly attempting to stand up again, since the young witch was already over him, sitting in his lap. Fearing the girl might do something she would bitterly regret he raised his wand, realizing she had just stopped moving… He stayed there, wand half in the air, not moving a muscle, feeling her body weight over him, the slow breathing in his neck, her head on his right shoulder. His body relaxed under the realization that she had fallen asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thank you for all your support.

 **Chapter 4:**

There was this strong smell in her nose, which felt like a slap to her face, though it was not exactly bad. She opened her eyes to see Snape a few inches from her, gasping and abruptly sitting in her place, forcing herself against the wall, she noticed this was obviously not her room and felt lost, desperately trying to remember how she got there and looking for her wand, which was nowhere to be found.

The man just limited himself to raise both of his brows while slowly nodding, indicating how not offended he was for such a reaction. "Your wand will be returned the moment we are done here." Hermione focused her attention on his hands; the man had just bottled something, which she could only recognize as some minerals he had been using to wake her up.

"… What… why am I… when?" She followed him with the eyes, the Potions Master walked till the other extreme of the room, and placed the bottle in one of the bookcases, slowly turning around to see the girl and staying in that exact place.

"How do you feel?"

She inspired, trying to find the words "… extremely disoriented, but in no physical pain."

"How much do you remember?" Realizing he was demanding some mental effort from her, she began to examine the room, the bookcases, the sofa she was sitting on, the blanket covering her legs, and then him.

"Detention"

"I was expecting more than one word sentence."

"I came for detention, I was sitting at the desk, and you…"

"And me…?"

"You were interrogating me." The man's face disarranged, expressing how he differed from that thought, but not interrupting. He knew she had just remembered something uncomfortable because her face was rushing red and avoiding eye contact. "… I am really confused, and it is clear you know what happened, is this really necessary?" She felt like a toy.

Suddenly feeling empathic with the girl, though still remaining in the exact opposite of the room, he spoke "I need to know if there is any memory loss, I can assure you, Miss Granger, this is neither amusing nor entertaining for me either, now, continue." Memory loss? How big of a mess was she into?

"You commented on how you thought my…" she stopped thinking in a proper word "behavior may have been because of some potion or charm."

"How did you feel?"

"Pretty embarrassed" She answered almost instinctively, feeling the same level of embarrassment as before.

"And then…?"

"Then…" She focused her eyes on the blanket again, had he given it to her? It was black, a rather odd color for a blanket. "I told you how it was a onetime thing, and… I did feel different then."

"Numb? Dizzy? Light-headed?"

"Warm"

"Warm…? Could you elaborate?" She closed her eyes, trying to remember the feeling, concentrating in the moment.

"It was like… being in a really cozy and warm place inside my own body, like falling asleep while being awake at the same time." The girl raised her eyes to look at the man again "I saw you talking, but I couldn't hear you anymore, you sounded far away. From that point the numb feeling prevented me from doing much, then the desk… what is happening to me?" The last part sounded breathless.

Snape hesitated a few seconds "I'm afraid; I have no answer for that question… yet. However, I'm certain this is a potion's doing, since for the moment it happened we had already been alone for more than 15 minutes, and charms tend to act immediately. "

"So… there is someone out there who is basically poisoning my food?"

"There are many ways a potion can get into your system, Miss Granger, sometimes inhaling or getting in touch with it is enough." She felt like her world was going down, being a prefect meant being in contact with hundreds of students every day. It could be anyone.

"Are you sure it is just me? Maybe this was some kind of accident and there are actually other students affected by it." He actually seemed to consider the option, but then continued.

"As trivial as it may seem, I have not reported more inappropriate behavior than usual…" He marked the word more and usual, implying certain level was normal, nothing surprising for Hermione, thought. Besides, I am positive that if this was affecting other students, this topic would have been discussed with the staff." He paused, deciding if to comment or not the next "Actually, Miss Granger, I've come to a few conclusions, they may help you prevent it for happening, at least till finding a proper solution for such matter."

"I'd love to hear them, professor, thank you." Anything that could stop her from going nuts again was more than welcomed.

"First, and I am counting with you already being aware of… my reasons." He said this in a way Hermione understood he meant the revelation of his memories, a complete life under disguise and nodded. "I'd like to clarify that I do not hate or disfavor any of your friends, including Harry." His tone of voice sounded strangely familiar for Hermione, who was used to the venom at the pronunciation of such name. "At least not for any personal reasons. You know my ways, and you must recognize they can be… disruptive." Well, he was right; it would be ridiculous to praise them now considering their usual behavior during the previous years.

"I'm sorry, sir, even though I do appreciate such a comment, I do not see where this is taking us."

"Watch your back, Miss Granger. Whoever this person is, it is close to you… and I incline to call it a _him_ , actually."

"You could not be implying that Harry or Ron could-"

"I am not implying anything; I am telling you that you have at least been chosen for this, not once, but twice, how big are the chances for a complete stranger to curse you twice."

"But why would they like to do that? They are my friends, and besides-"

"Do not play naive." The man moved from the bookcase, raising the hand he had been using to support himself. "You have seen what this potion can do, you have _lived_ it" He said the last indicating the desk and chair, causing Hermione to blush fiercely and look nervous between the desk and the man's face. "And I am sure this was not intended to happen to me. There is simply not someone stupid enough to curse me as well."

"You don't know, they would not do such a thing, they would not dare, that would be completely and utterly-"

"Unforgivable? Whoever is behind this already knows that… what takes me to my second conclusion, which is actually a command." The girl calmed down, she wanted to continue arguing about her friends' culpability on this, but she just became too curious about this second conclusion. "You have completely prohibited to discuss this topic with anyone."

"Why?" She was pretty good with secrets, but this was too big, she wasn't sure for how long she could keep it.

"Let's say you tell about this to… Ronald Weasley, for example, and let's say he actually is the one to blame… what do you think would happen?"

"I'm telling you, it can not be Ron."

"What. Would. Happen."

"Assuming, hypothetically that was Ron's doing… it would continue happening, because he would have confirmation that it is working." She covered her face with both of her hands. This was more messed up than she thought. The man was right, she couldn't trust anyone.

"Precisely… maybe, and just maybe, the lack of response will lead this person to believe it is not working, causing him to desist."

"I understand, and I will not comment this with anyone, but if this happens in front of others… How about a class? Or the Great Hall?"

"I will keep an eye on you during both scenarios, potions class and every visit to the Great Hall, I am assuming you would have no problem with me… stopping you by any means."

"Do whatever you have to do, sir, anything would be better." The man nodded, having her agree made him feel more in control, with more options.

"As for the other classes or social life aspects, I would advise you to immediately leave the room the moment you start feeling the effects, do you think that could be possible?"

"I guess I could sit next to the door and excuse myself later."

"I also would like you to bring me a sample of every piece of food you have, anything that gets into your body, it may be helpful."

"I will, I was also wondering if there was any other way I could help… maybe look for the potion's name or conduct a research."

"There are more than 2.000 different potions in the world, each one of them with different ingredients, proportions, preparation and antidotes. Though, I do have a vague idea of where to seek, this may take a while" The man focused his eyes on one of the bookcases next to Hermione. "For what your assistance would actually be helpful, especially when the time comes to check on… symptoms."

"You just tell me what to do, I can come every day after my classes, I can also spend the nights at the library, Madam Pince trusts me with the key."

"That won't be necessary; there is no potions book in the library that is not in my possession as well. Though, you are free to look on your own, I suggest you to filter the search by submissive effects."

"Submissive? Is this what it really is about?"

"You do follow simple instructions under the effect of it, so I consider it a start point." He stopped a minute, spacing out, in which Hermione looked at him expecting for any instruction. "Saturday seven o' clock, here. I hope you have no plans, it may be a long evening."

"I'll be here" She stood up, carefully leaving the blanket in her side. The man took her wand from his robes and handed it in her direction. Hermione walked his way and intended to grab it, but Snape quickly pulled it away. She looked at him confused and a bit upset, was he playing with her?

"One last thing, Miss Granger, you must already be feeling helpless or even scared. Furthermore, if you ever feel like asking for help to Madam Pomfrey, know that I consider that a perfect valid and reasonable option." She looked at the man, who spite his words seemed uneasy.

"I will most surely consider it." Expecting him to return her wand in that moment, she looked at his hands, but received nothing.

"However, if you decide to do so, I'll ask you to let me know in advance, so I can report this to McGonagall as well." She alarmed, what would McGonagall say? Would she be disappointed? Embarrassed? Pity her? Expel her? Probably not the last one, considering she was cursed, but forbidding her to go to classes was actually plausible.

"What? Why? Would that be really necessary?"

"Under such circumstances, of course it would be. As a professor it is expected for me to notify of any cursed or hexed student to the Headmistress."

"Why haven't you done it then?" The man smiled slightly, which Hermione considered to be creepy at the moment.

"I just thought that, perhaps, you would feel uncomfortable with such information. On the other hand, I am sure she must be still available, in case you want me to-"

"No!" Holding both of her hands in the air, gesturing him to stop. "That won't be necessary, I think… I think we are good."

"We are good?"

"Yes, I mean, I am good with the two of us working in this" She noticed the expression in Snape's face and realized she had suddenly started to act way too casual. "And I'm thankful for it, professor."

"Do not be, there is nothing to be thankful about this situation."

"Of course not." The girl looked at her shoes, feeling out of place.

"Here is your wand, Miss Granger, and even though you are expected here on Saturday, it'd be appreciated if you let me know if anything happens before." She took her wand from the man's hold and saved it in her skirt.

"Good night, sir."

"Good night."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 5:**

Hermione walked into the Great Hall determined to take her food from other tables to properly eat later, while pretending to eat hers and saving it for Saturday. Quickly glancing at the high table, she saw Snape half pretending to have a conversation with Flitwick, and half paying attention to the door, softly nodding his head when noticing her eyes. She answered with a smile and the man turned himself completely back to the conversation. Feeling relieved by Snape's presence she looked for the boys and Ginny who were already sitting, so she approached them and sat next to Ron.

"By Merlin, Hermione, what did Snape make you do?" Ron sounded so concerned that the girl considered him to know something.

"Nothing, I just… organized the ingredients in his office." She had heard it was kind of a common detention activity.

"Did you organize the complete office?"

"… Yes, and what is this all about? I do not interrogate you every time you get detention."

"But we weren't expecting for it to take you more than three hours." They were actually four.

"Did you wait for me awake?" The girl started to feel paranoid, but re-considered her thought and looked at the guys with a smile.

"Yes, we did, it was our turn to patrol after curfew."

"I just kept him company." Harry jumped in the conversation while eating a sandwich.

"Just ignore him, Mione, he is upset because a third year student played him a joke and he couldn't handle it." Ginny looked at Ron with an amused expression. "You should have seen him, his face turned purple."

"It didn't match his hair color." Hermione internally thanked Harry for relieving the tension and distracting the conversation.

"You should get used to it, I heard it is some kind of trend among third graders, they even have this point system for every prank they do." Pranks? Could her problem be part of this?

"What do you mean? Like a competition?"

"I don't know much, just that there are a few students from third year who started this sort of competition, I also recently heard that there are points for the magnitude of the joke, but there are no names, since they would clearly be punished."

"What about points for the objective?"

"What do you mean objective?"

"I mean… Ron is a prefect; maybe they got more points for pranking him."

"That makes sense; maybe they have that, too, do you want me to ask around?"

"That would be great, Ginny. I'd do it myself, but considering I am a prefect, they wouldn't say a word."

"Do not worry, I got your back." Both of the girls smiled at each other. With the developing relationship between Ginny and Harry, they had grown really close, even after the break up with Ron; it felt good having a female friend for once.

"I am your brother; shouldn't you worry about me too?"

"Of course I do, Ron, if I catch the pranksters I will tell them to color your face green next time, that color suits you better." They all laughed, excepting Ron.

"Haha, very funny…"

"Anyways, didn't you have something to tell Hermione?" Ginny commented while still laughing.

"Oh, so now you are done mocking me."

"Not quite yet, but I told Harry I was going to pressure you." Ron looked at Harry in surprise with his mouth fully opened for such an apparent betrayal.

"Sorry, Ron, but it is your turn."

"His turn for what exactly?" She didn't like where this was going.

"Well… you remember we have this really complex project for herbology and-"

"No."

"But I haven't said anything yet!"

"I know where this is going, and I am not doing your project because you have a quidditch match or something."

"No, Mione, wait, we don't want you to do the project for us. We are just behind schedule and we wanted you to help us with some key information and numbers, you know we are terrible with numbers."

"So terrible."

"Is tomorrow by any chance your last opportunity to hand it?" Both of the boys stared at each other, too scared to answer. "Uuugh… You promise that if I do help you I will NOT be the one doing the entire job?"

"Of course not! Most of the job is already done; we just have a few details missing." The boys and Ginny pouted at Hermione, hoping for her to surrender by this triple attack.

"… Fine, I will help you, but it will be at the library, I also have some tasks to do."

"Whenever and wherever you want!" Ron exclaimed.

"Tonight at the library, I will notify professor McGonagall about you, Harry, so you can stay out the common room past curfew."

"Thanks a lot, Mione, you are the best!" Ron hugged her and she returned the hug smiling, they always got her to help them with projects and essays, with time she learned to consider them as a chance to practice and not a burden, as long as they could learn something out of it.

After pretending to eat most of her food, and saving the rest on her bag, it was already time for classes, remembering her personal eye in the sky; she nodded at professor Snape before leaving to attend the ancient runes class. Yet, she couldn't focus on any of her lessons; her mind was too busy going through the names of third year students, analyzing the chances for any of them to be the potion's culprit. If Ginny was right, and there was a pranksters club with this complete system, she was positive that causing a prefect to kiss a professor, especially Snape, would be the pranking equivalent of winning the Three Wizards Tournament. Maybe the potions master was all wrong, maybe the potion was intended to work in any prefect and not only her, and maybe there was someone stupid enough to involve him in it. Anyways, she had plans for the rest of the day, so she was keeping the complete prankster idea for herself till Saturday, unless Ginny could corroborate her hypothesis earlier, then she would immediately comment it to Snape.

Hermione was busy jumping from book to book, quickly checking the index of each one, and selecting the ones that could be of use. She had already read about three different submissive potions, as Snape recommended, but even when there were some coincidences on her actions, most of them involved partial or complete memory loss together with symptoms she hadn't had at all, such as nausea, headaches, extreme pain, sadness and irritability. Yes, she was confused and disoriented, but since the beginning of this problem she actually had started to feel refresh. Remembering the warmness and coziness she had to admit that even the numbness felt ok, the first time it was pretty scary, but in the second one the feeling was so comfortable that she had literally fallen asleep on Snape's lap, the most stressful place she could think of being in her five senses. And even when previous that she had been sleeping only a few hours because of the constant fear and paranoia, realizing she was getting help allowed her to recover some sleep.

"What are you reading?"

She was so focused on her memories that hearing Harry's voice made her jump and immediately return the book she had to the bookcase "Nothing! Oh, Harry, it was you, scared me." She noticed the boy was holding a couple books, three different and large pieces of parchment together with some plant, making him hard to see much "Here, let me help you." Hermione took the plant from his hands and placed it on the nearest table. "Is this your project?"

"We call it Peter."

"Peter?" She chuckled, she wasn't expecting the boys to name their project, especially a plant. "And where is Ron? I thought he was coming with you."

"Oh, he's in the hospital wing, he had an accident during quidditch practice." Harry said while placing the books and parchments on the table, which made him look quite unconcerned.

"WHAT? Is he ok? Is he awake? Why are you here? What happened? Let's go see him." Her eyes were wide open and her heart racing.

"Easy, Mione, he is gonna be ok, a bludger hit him in the face and broke his nose, Madam Pomfrey already fixed it, but she is keeping him in the hospital wing during the night, to check out if his brain is ok." He said the last part pointing at his own head. "He kept repeating something about Peter over and over again, I tried to explain Madam Pomfrey who Peter was, but she insisted that it was not a normal behavior or something."

"Oh… ok, so Ron is ok."

"Yes, he is, do not worry about him… though, if you wanna go see him, I c-" Hermione didn't like his tone of voice, all lovey-dovey, implying she had some especial interest, so she showed him her discomfort by hitting him in the shoulder.

"Stop it, with Ron in bed, we have extra work to do, Mr. Last Minute Project, show me what you were planning with Peter the plant."

"Well, Miss Non Believer, this is Peter the Wiggen Young Tree, he was just a seed three days ago." Hermione looked at Harry surprised, three days? She couldn't quite remember the growing speed of wiggen trees, but she was certain three days was not possible.

"What did you do to get it this big so fast?"

"It is all in the parchments" He opened the three of them and carefully placed them on the table's surface, using its complete extent "We reduced the seed size and paid attention to the moon in order to use its influence at its complete potential, then, when Peter started to grow we accelerated the process with a standard fertilizing potion, for this morning he was a young tree, but still small because of the first charm so we took back reducio, by using engorgio and now he is all grown up and healthy in three days."

Hermione couldn't believe it; they had not only applied herbology contents, as requested, but only potions, charms and even astronomy. Her mouth was open in an astonished smile while looking at the parchments "This is unbelievable."

"I really hope so, we have really worked hard in this, we are actually expecting to get Professor Sprout to comment it with the other professors, you know we want to be aurors and we are a few points behind the ideal." Hermione looked at him, saying nothing, but expressing everything. "Do not look at me like that, Herms, we really want to earn the auror position, not just have it because of Voldemort, I am not THAT arrogant, we have really worked hard in this one, especially in the numbers, here." Harry pointed at the last parchment, which was full of corrected numbers and marks. "We are not longer in arithmancy for a reason."

"You want to predict the applications for this process in other plants based on this Wiggen tree? That is… quite aspiring."

"But possible, right? Aspiring but possible, I know you can do it."

"Yes, I mean… it is possible, but I will not do it."

"Oh, But Hermione! Please, it would be really cool if-"

"I'm going to show you how, step by step, and you will calculate Peter's future on your own, does that sound good?"

"Perfect! Just tell me what to do, I am going to be the best express arithmancer you have ever seen."

The girl spent the following 30 minutes explaining Harry how to calculate the numbers, providing examples and guiding the process, once the boy was could get the first result on his own, Hermione went to sit in front of him, in order to continue reading the potions book from before, but still being far enough so Harry couldn't read the words on it.

"I will sit here in case you need me, but you are doing great, let me know when you are ready so we can apply the chart and interpret the results."

"Jeez, Mione, you should be an arithmancy teacher, I feel like an expert right now." Hermione rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Do not be flunkey, Harry Potter, it doesn't suit you."

"I am not, think about it, I know how much you love Hogwarts, and helping others, do it for the children." The girl let go a small laugh, since he was implying she would be a heroine just for being a professor.

"Then, I will start practicing now" coughing in order to help her voice, she continued in a much fancy tone "Alright, , enough mumbling and chattering, continue with your job or I shall give you detention."

"I'm sorry, Madam Granger, please do not make me clean the great lake using my toothbrush again." Both of them laughed at the idea.

"Ehem…" Suddenly stopping, they realized Madam Pince was standing right behind Harry, holding a key in the air. "It is time to close the library, not to be laughing or joking around." The woman looked at Hermione, who felt embarrassed for the disappointed expression. "Staying till late tonight, Miss Granger?"

"That would be greatly appreciated, Madam Pince, I'd really like to finish this book and Harry is about to finish his project."

"I trust YOU with the keys, here they are" Hermione received them from the woman, understanding that Harry's presence was not really welcomed. "And please, remember, all privileges can be revoked."

"Of course, I-we, we will be very careful."

"Thanks, Madam Pince." Harry added, smiling at the woman and trying to be as nice as he could under such circumstances. "Have a good night."

"Good night" Finally leaving the place, both students stayed alone and in complete silence, focused in their own job.

After some minutes, Hermione started to feel anxious, she was getting nowhere, there were a lot of books about potions, but none of them were helping, at least not the ones with easy access. _The restricted section_ , she thought. Raising her eyes to see Harry she contemplated the idea of standing up and sneaking into the Restricted Section, even considering the cozy and comfortable feeling she had during the potions effect, this was most likely to be found in there, or no? It was not really that different from the _imperio_ curse. However, she was also certain that Harry would notice and also be curious about her going in there, or even disappearing, so she just shook her head along with her thoughts and decided to go the following day, alone.

Meanwhile, there were other things to pay attention, as Harry's job, he really appeared to be concentrating on the math. She couldn't remember the last time she had stayed alone with him, the boy was most of the time with Ginny or Ron, but it was really relaxing to be around him, she was certain that if it was Harry who had the accident and not Ron, they would be in a really awkward situation, trying to force a conversation or not working because of the tension.

"What is it?" Harry's voice brought her back to reality. "Am I doing something wrong?" the boy asked concerned about his job, looking at his own parchment and then back to Hermione "You can tell me if I am doing it wrong, I think I am do-"

"No, you are doing a great job, I was just…" As the witch stopped, Harry moved his hands, gesturing for her to continue. "… I was just remembering."

"Anything in particular?" he noticed Hermione's expression and immediately added "Unless you don't feel like sharing, I can totally understand that."

"No, it's okay, it was nothing, just…" then, she realized for that moment she already couldn't feel her feet, the numb feeling growing through her hands. Abruptly standing up, causing the chair to hit the ground. "I have to go. Now. Good bye." She left walking, trying to act as normal as possible, accelerating in every step, the girl started to run the moment she got to the hallway, forcing her mind to spot the closest restroom or empty classroom, repeating _control, control, control_ over and over again, she was about to lose it. Suddenly, remembering about one of the half destroyed and closed rooms, she turned right, but couldn't move. Everything felt soft and smooth, there was this urge to lay on the ground for no apparent reason, while thinking in Snape, _he would know what to do,_ but not now, because she just needed to lay down, then, she would go find the man, who was most likely busy or asleep, not like her confused mind care. Her body was already moving to the ground, when she heard it, far away, what meant it was really close.

"Hermione!" A hand in her left wrist stopped her and kept her in her place. "Are you alright?! What was that about?! You can't just bump a chair and go away out of nowhere! Did something happen? Mione, Mione, look at me, did something happen?" Right in front of her was Harry, holding her wrist with a hand and her chin with the other one, _Oh Harry…_ "Is it Ron? You look-" The boy couldn't finish his words, he was pinned against the closest wall, he felt the impact in his back, and the cold stone in his bones, not having time to react, the girl's lips pressured against his.

He had no idea what was happening, and though he really liked Hermione, as a friend, as a partner, and even as a girl, he never pictured this could happen. Yes, he had considered a few years ago Hermione to be a good girlfriend, always caring for him, the smartest witch of their generation, but it was before realizing Ron loved her, since that very moment she became the closest to a sister he could ever have. But, how did she feel about him? He always thought she loved Ron back, but since the break up, it was clear not the case… what if she loved him instead? So much information to process in just a kiss. Returning to reality, he took the girl by her shoulders and gently pushed her away. "Hermione, I..." he knew he was supposed to look her in the eyes, but it was just so weird he couldn't avoid staring at his own hands "I don't know what is happening, if this is how you-"The girl pressured herself against him, forcing him to the stone again, he just stood there, wordless "Ok… a hug, this is a hug." As the girl just remained there in silence, Harry hugged her back, not sure what to do. And then he felt it, a slam in his head, which made him let go of Hermione and raise his eyes to see Ginny, standing a few steps from them, silently crying and wiping her own cheeks and eyes, before turning around and running.

"Oh God, Ginny, wait!" He intended to run behind her, but before it he quickly glared at Hermione, who was standing in her place, hugging herself and piercing the book that Ginny had just thrown at them, fiercely biting her bottom lip. "I have to go." And then he left, trying to catch the redhead who was already far away.

Trying to gather all the concentration she could while still half under the effects of the potion, the girl was desperately trying to find a way to fix this, an explanation, a charm, a piece of advice, anything, anything that could turn around what had just happened, Ginny was more likely to hate her, but maybe, just maybe, she still could excuse herself… she also considered the _obliviate_ charm, but it didn't feel fair, together with all if the consequences of it, since McGonagall was almost certain to find out of such an incantation being used in the castle by a student. Breathing in and out, trying to calm herself, she finally decided to talk to them, both, excuse herself, though she wasn't sure what to say yet. The girl leaned down to collect the book on the floor.

"An advanced herbology book." It was full of scrabbles and doodles in a piece of parchment attached, and at the very end there was a note - _I think these are the results, I really tried, but Madam Pomfrey insists I should be asleep, sorry for the extra job, say hi to Hermione, Ron_.- She smiled while feeling her eyes fill with tears, all the results were wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 6:**

It was still dark when Hermione went downstairs to the common room. She couldn't sleep thinking in what to say and how to say it, so instead of wasting her time suffering over the misunderstanding she finished the boys' project, not exactly as an apology but to distract herself from the issue. When the job was done and she was left alone with her thoughts, the anxiety overcame her again, thus she decided to wait in the common room. She seriously needed to talk to Ginny and Harry as soon as possible, before it could transform into rumors, and staying in the only way to the rest of the castle seemed a practicable way to make sure they would not avoid her.

This is why she was surprised to find Harry cross sitting in the sofa, wearing half the uniform and half pajamas, which caused her to immediately stop and wait for his response, unsure if she was welcomed. As the boy was almost falling asleep in his place, and didn't notice her standing there for a few seconds, she revealed herself with a soft cough, calling Harry's attention.

"Oh hey" Though the boy smiled softly at her, it was clear he was feeling uncomfortable, since he quickly stood up, grabbed a blanket near him and remained standing while nervously caressing his left arm.

' _Oh dear, this is going to be awful'._ The girl moved from the stairs and sat in the couch in front of Harry, keeping a two meters distance from him all the time, while looking him in the eye, as trying to project she held no intention of getting any closer. While the boy kept looking at her with puppy eyes, the moment Hermione sat, he did as well in the original place. They remained silent for a few minutes, but with every second of it the atmosphere became thicker and heavier, till neither of them could handle it any longer and spoke at the same time, not understanding each other at all.

"You go first." Harry stated as Hermione was mentally trying to organize her excuses into a consistent idea, in order to bring up the topic in the least awkward way possible. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, before finally deciding for her words.

"You are my friend, Harry, a very, very important friend." _'Two very, Hermione, well done'_ "Just like Ginny, and I don't want to lose any of you because of some misunderstanding." She stopped, analyzing Harry's expression before continuing, however, the boy considered this as his turn to speak.

"It's ok, Hermione, I am sure that if you… explain, maybe… this is awkward." The boy couldn't finish his idea, because yes, it was awkward.

"I don't like you."

"Oh ok" The boy wasn't sure if to feel offended or relieved, her words sounded kind of harsh.

"I mean, I do like you."

"You are confusing me, Hermione, even more than last night."

"I do like you as a friend, Harry, not as…" she started to move her hands in the air, as if that was an explanation by itself; the boy nodded what she interpreted as understanding. "But I know you must be confused, I was confused too, really, that was not in my Thursday night plan."

"If you don't like me in that way" He said the last two words by making quote marks in the air. "Then… why?" She froze, could there be a good explanation for suddenly kissing your friend for no apparent reason and in such a way?

"I…" She looked to the floor "Have you ever felt like suddenly doing something out of nowhere just because it seemed as a good idea at the moment, but your brain screamed it was really not?"

The boy looked at her with a blank stare for what seemed an eternity, before carefully leaving the blanket in the sofa and standing up. Hermione thought for a minute that the wizard was about to simply leave the room, disappointed by such an answer. She followed his movements, till he was in front of her, offering his hand. The girl looked at it, then at his eyes, understanding he wanted her to take it, she did and stood up. The boy was cold, and trembling at the beginning, maybe because of the cool air, or because of the situation.

"What are you…" The girl didn't finish talking, the boy started to move in a really awful way, forcing her to rather follow him or fall. Dancing, he was dancing, and so she did. He made himself turn around, and then it was her turn, it was strange at the moment, but it meant so much for her, relief, forgiveness, understanding, friendship indeed.

"This would be much less weird with music." The boy said while spinning.

"It's still dark; I don't think the others would appreciate it." The girl received him and they hugged, slowly dancing "Thank you, Harry."

"I think I should get some dance lessons if we intend to continue surrounded by Weasleys." The girl let go a laugh. "Sssh, I don't think the others would appreciate it." At some point Harry was to let go, but Hermione stopped him by grabbing his shirt and closing the hug, letting the boy know she was not ready yet, causing them to stay frozen in the middle of the room.

"Do you think Ginny will be willing to dance with me too?"

"... I don't know, she is really angry, and with angry I mean she broke my glasses by slamming the door in my face angry." The girl tensed, so the boy caressed her hair as a sign of comfort. "But she adores you, Hermione, you should talk to her AND think better what you are going to say, because I don't think Ginny will fall for the same excuse." Both of them separated while still looking at each other. "Unless you show her some crazy dancing moves, you should practice."

"Practice my dancing or my explanation for kissing her boyfriend?"

"Gosh, Hermione, don't say it like that, I had almost gotten rid of the weird vibe between us." He said, but the smile in his face showed he was still goofing around trying to ease the air.

"I'm sorry… so, explanation it is?"

"Obviously, let the dance for me, it's my only weapon, and it is a terrible one."

"Could you talk to her?"

"Not at all, I actually think she will be avoiding me, so I decided to sleep here"

"So she couldn't run away, I was planning the same for you too."

"This has suddenly become a slumber party."

Smiling at each other, they continued talking for a while, sitting closer now that it was not awkward anymore. It was around six am when Ron entered the common room and found them both sitting on the floor against the sofa, with Hermione sleeping on Harry's shoulder, the boy in a much uncomfortable position with his head completely down, probably asleep as well, and their project on her lap. Ron wasn't sure how to feel about it, he had been jealous for almost two years, he had his chance, and he lost it, besides Harry was clearly in a relationship with her sister, so there was nothing suspicious on this. He carefully approached them, trying not to wake them up and kneed in order to try to get the project out of Hermione's lap for him to read. Once he had it, he sat down across them and read it till a second year student got downstairs. He shook Harry's shoulder to wake him up.

"Hey, Harry, Harry, wake up." The boy did so, slowly at the beginning then abruptly standing up, causing Hermione to fall on the ground and waking because of the impact.

"GINNY! Oh, It was you, Ron, sorry."

"Sorry to interrupt your weird dreams with my sister or anything… gross. But the others are coming down and I am not sure how comfortable you feel with them seeing you in pajamas."

"Have you seen Ginny?"

"Not since yesterday, I asked her to give you my notes, did she?"

"I'll go get change, if you see her do not let her go!" After saying this, Harry left running, letting a confused Ron behind, while feeling completely ignored.

"I'm alright by the way, pal, do not worry about my night at the hospital wing at all. Oh, hi, Hermione." Suddenly realizing the girl was still on the floor looking rather out of place, he helped her to her feet. "Did something happen between those two?"

After thinking in a proper answer, which would lead to not misinterpretations or more questions, she simply said "No." And before Ron could say anything else, she just left.

Though Harry and Hermione were focused on solving the problem, it was impossible to find Ginny, they had no idea when or how, but she somehow managed to get to classes without them noticing, which left them waiting for the end of their lessons. The plan was for Harry to talk with her before Hermione, since they didn't want the girl to think they had planned something (which they actually did) or spent too much time together alone. However, there was a small issue with the plan, since they were most likely to find the girl after classes at some point in the common room, which was also the time in which usually the potion made effect. Hermione could simply never allow it to happen in front of any of her friends, especially Harry ever again, thus, she decided to go to the one person who knew about her problem, not sure if to ask for advice, help, emotional support or simply company, she wasn't sure how brave she would be when the time to speak came.

Classes were finished, she explained the boys she was going to be busy the rest of the afternoon, but that she would be back for the evening, while wishing them good luck, what Ron thought to be because of the coming quidditch match or the herbology project, but was not really meant for either of those.

Standing in front of the Potions Master's office door, doubts started to fill her thoughts, there were so many things that could go wrong, not only because of the chances of sexually harassing a professor once more, but because the man was most likely not interested in her silly problems or visit, whatever he would prefer to call it. So there she was, standing in the middle of the dungeon's hallway, thinking in what to say, when the door opened, causing her to gasp and take one step backwards.

"Miss Granger?" Snape looked at her rather confused for a few seconds and then added "I believe you were not expected for tonight but for tomorrow evening. Did something happen?"

The girl battled herself, unsure if to reveal the last events, fearing the man's reaction, she decided to omit the information at least for now "No, not really, sir."

"Then, hope you don't mind me asking for your reasons to be standing at my door without knocking for the Lord knows how long?"

"I was just…" The girl looked around, to make sure there was no one around to listen or see. "…thinking that maybe I could spend the rest of the afternoon with you" she paused to see the man's face, which stayed unreadable as usual "just in case you agree, of course, sir."

The man inhaled before responding "Why would I… why would you like to do such a thing, Miss Granger? I am your teacher, not your friend to hang around or chit chat."

"I know that, but because of the... recent events, I do not feel really comfortable being around the castle neither by my own nor with others. You are the only one who knows, thus the only one who will understand and stop me from embarrassing myself, please, sir, I will not bother you, I promise I will just sit in a corner, or even the floor if you request, I'll stay quiet till the night falls, I will return to my place the moment curfew begins, when almost no one else is around to find me… indisposed." The man listened to her with much attention, which gave her a hint of hope.

"Basically you are requesting for me to allow you to spend the rest of the day, no, since this will not be solved tonight, you are actually talking of days, maybe even weeks, in my personal office, completely aware of the most likely consequences of your very actions, because you don't want them to happen with anyone else, considering the highly inappropriate nature of it." He said all of this at once, causing her to take some time to swallow it.

"… yes."

"And you want all of this to happen here, in this place, with me, a professor." Every word was slowly disposed, causing the girl to feel stupid at the idea, together with a sense of wrongness and dirtiness.

"I… I would not say it like that, I am sure you would stop me the moment I try anything, right?"

"Of course I will!" The man seemed to be incensed by the question. "But let me explain this for you, Miss Granger, this is not part of my job." The girl thought of his words and tone, he was right, there were so many classes to be taught, essays and homework to be checked, potions to be prepared… and then, there was she, not his responsibility at all, together with getting him in a difficult situation.

"I understand if you don't have the time or-"

"Get inside" With a sigh the man moved from the door, allowing her to come in, though it took her some time, since the gesture took her by surprise. "Today if possible." The girl quickly moved forward, fearing the man would repent and slam the door at any minute. Once she got in, she turned to see him still standing by the entrance "Now, contrary to your beliefs I do have other students and I do have other problems to attend, so you will wait here, touching absolutely nothing, I will be right back." She jumped because of the slam, damning herself, since she clearly disturbed the man, but it was already done, no take backs now.

Breathing out the girl took a look at the room, finding a place to sit or wait; she was not sure what objects or pieces of furniture she was allowed to touch. She considered the chair or the sofa, since she had already used those. ' _Following that logic even the desk or professor Snape himself would be a great place to- Shut up, Hermione'_. The room was giving her the chills, hints of flash backs hit her mind with her eyes settling on the desk, she approached it, and touched its surface with her fingertips, closing her eyes it felt like being back to that moment. Reason why she immediately let go of the desk, scared it could happen again, and decided to rumble around for a few minutes, checking the labels on the potions, the names of the books, the amount of stones in the walls, anything that could keep her mind busy. How long could it take him to come back?

After reading all of the titles in one of the bookcases, she even took her time to classify and rank them in a scale from 1 to 10, being 1 those not interesting and 10 the ones she was fighting not to touch. Once it was done, she let go a sigh and moved backwards, tripping over a chair and hitting the desk, causing a few scrolls to fall down. The girl immediately picked them up and returned them to the desk, not before casually looking at them and noticing they were essays from first year students, the handwriting and the painful spelling made it obvious. She cringed at the first paragraph of one, and felt an urge to correct it, not only the language, but the content, since there were several ingredient measures wrong. However, she wasn't supposed to touch or even see them, so she tried to focus her attention on something else, catching with the corner of her eyes a scroll down the desk, in Snape's side. Nervously looking to the door, she convinced herself it was better to pick it now, before the man realized she had been sneaking around. She rounded the desk and kneeled to reach the scroll, trying to avoid touching anything else, when suddenly feeling a shiver through her spine, causing her to adjust her cloak and stand up to see the reason for the abrupt temperature drop. Holding the door half open, frowning while piercing her with the eyes was Professor Snape.

"I recall telling you to touch absolutely nothing, Miss Granger, any special reason to be hiding under my desk?"

"I was not hiding, sir, I accidentally tripped and hit your desk, some scrolls fell so I was trying to gather them up." The girl offered him the scroll, hesitating if to leave it on the desk or hand it to him, since the man ignored her for a fraction of second. However, the moment she moved to return it, the man closed the door and tore it out her hands with a single movement.

"I'm starting to think this is some ability of you, to drop every item on my desk to the floor. Please, refrain from approaching it ever again." She felt kind of offended and silly at the same time, since he was right, she had only been there twice, and in both cases she had messed his documents up. Slowly moving away, and positioning a couple steps far from the man and the piece of furniture.

"I'm sorry, sir, I am not usually this clumsy." Her hands firmly pressured against her back.

The Potions Master stared at her, but said no more, he just sat down in his chair and took his pen to start checking the scrolls. "You are allowed to be in the room, sit on the sofa, or the floor as you suggested, I don't particularly mind. Just remain silent till it's your time to leave." The girl nodded and did as she was told, choosing for the sofa, since the floor was out of discussion. Strangely feeling more comfortable and relaxed with his company, she looked for a book on a small bag she was holding and started to read it.

"Miss Granger" the silence was broken after around ten minutes.

"Yes, sir?"

"It's not my intention to pressure you, but I can't help but consider your request a bit odd, thus I will ask you for the last time… Is there another reason for you to be here? Did something happen?" She immediately thought of Harry, but wasn't sure how the man would react, he seemed much calmer now, but still… "And well?" She was taking too long, the man was suspecting.

"You should not be surprised by a student requesting your company, sir, it is actually quite enjoyable." The man didn't move or blink, he just continued to scrutinize her as if he was expecting her to finish some joke. Hermione wasn't sure if she should add something else, for the first time in all her years at Hogwarts, his professor seemed to be lacking words. And he was. It was different from other times in which there were many sarcastic answers in his mind that he preferred to keep to himself, now he simply wasn't sure how to respond, since he was not certain at all if the girl was being serious, there wasn't any trace of mocking on her face. "I mean it."

"What exactly do you mean by _mean it_?" Emphasizing the last word, he didn't intend to look for recognition o praising, but for clarification.

"Well… you are quite, how should I put it? Hum… Honest and straight forward, there is no awkward conversation about the weather or comments on other people problems, I am not good with chit chatting either, so I appreciate you do not push me into an unnecessary talk, besides-"

"Enough." His voice was softer than usual; he was requesting her to stop because he was feeling uncomfortable about the turn of the events, not because he was mad. The girl smiled at him, that was clearly what she was talking about.

"You see? That is exactly what I meant." After that, the man ignored her and continued to check on the papers. The girl considered it a victory; she handled it to avoid Professor Snape's question. She put the book back into the bag and continued to look at the movements of his pen. She felt curious on his protocol for marking papers, there were never too many comments on hers, which she considered to be good, meanwhile Neville's or Ron's… ugh. "Sir?"

"Now you are the one mumbling, Granger".

"I promise to not interrupt you again, I was just wondering if maybe you could allow me to see one of those scrolls." The man stopped and rose his eyes to look her face, without lifting his head.

"What would that be for?"

"Those are first year's homework, right? It's been a long time, and I was thinking that maybe it would be a good practice exercise to read one, maybe check it on my mind, think in some comments…"

"Feeling wise today? Why don't you apply for a professor position right away?"

"I didn't intend to sound conceited, sir, I just- "The man offered her a scroll.

"Take this; do as you please, let me know your thoughts on it. If they are not a bunch of mumbo jumbo, I may consider sharing another one." Her face brightened up with a smile, she was prepared for a plain negative and this meant much more than just a parchment to read, it was a real opportunity. She took it from his hand and returned to the sofa to carefully analyze it. Not much to her surprise, based on the previous ones, it was dreadful, most of the ingredients were misspelled and if it wasn't because of the title she would have never suspected it was actually supposed to be an essay on a standard herbicide potion. After going over all of her mental comments one last time, she approached the man and offered him the parchment back, he took it while reclining on his chair, and accommodating himself to pay her attention.

"I'd give it an A." She said in a dry and firm voice, causing the man's brows to rise.

"An A? What would that A stand for?"

"Awful, awkward, atrocious." Professor Snape fought the grin that was invading his face. "BUT… at least it is not an H." He leaned on the desk, much interested in these new marks of her.

"Please, enlight me."

"Hideous, horrid, hateful, horrendous." The man covered his mouth and then coughed, since the girl was staring at him, uncertain if he was pleased or upset by her opinion.

"I will make sure to communicate Mister Gregorian about this new marking system of you, I am positive he will appreciate not getting an H."

"Tell him there is always place for improvement, as long as he realizes there is a W in brew. "

"That's a reasonable suggestion, I will let him know. Here." The man held her another parchment, causing her to grin, she had passed the test. The one professor, besides Trelawney, who never acknowledged her efforts, finally trusted her with extra job, and it was more significant than any praise or word.

They spent the rest of the afternoon working that way, with Hermione making clever and sly comments on every parchment the man selected for her. Then the man would write the final words and mark them with the usual system. Around 9 pm the girl decided it was time for her to go back to the dorms, she hadn't eaten anything and there was no indicator that it could happen again, she hesitated before standing up and returning the last piece of parchment.

"I think it is time for me to leave, sir." Slightly bowing as a sign of respect and departure. "I am feeling well and most of the students must have gone back to their common rooms."

"Very well, Miss Granger, you are free to leave, since your presence here was never required to begin with."

"I just wanted to make sure I am still expected here tomorrow evening to discuss the potion matter."

"Yes, you are, though I don't know how necessary will it be, since you have not been under its effects recently."

She froze in her place, eyes fixed on his, she was about to leave this was her final chance to confess about Harry, why was it being so hard? He was definitely in the best mood she had ever seen him before, this was the time.

"Unrequested meeting dismissed, Miss Granger, leave." The girl breathed in, turned around and left, already thinking in what was she supposed to say the next day. However, her problems became completely different when she faced the Fat Lady, remembering it was her turn to talk to Ginny. She said the password and entered the place, there were slightly more students than usual and she felt the moment she got in, judging by all the whispering and chattering that began with her appearance, that something had happened. The girl quickly scanned the room for anyone close enough to ask about it, but she couldn't find anyone, feeling nervous because of her current state of center of attention, she was dragged by her wrist to the stairs, not focusing on the person dragging her, but on the lost words she could barely hear ' _Does she know?', 'pity', 'wrecked', 'quidditch match', 'unexpected',_ till they got to the prefects hallway, which brought her attention to reality. It was Ron who was holding her, he seemed uneasy, nervous and really concerned.

"Hey, Hermione, remember when we broke up?" What on Earth was happening? Ron was never assertive, but this was a bit over it.

"... I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't ask me what happened, because none of them is telling me, but… I think we may have a problem." The boy opened the door to his own dorm, revealing an obviously depressed Harry sitting on the floor and completely covered with a sheet.

"Move." The girl pushed the boy backwards, and took her wand to point it directly to the door, she made a complex and energetic movement and then moved towards the room, placing one foot inside. "Could you give us a moment?"

"What did you do? You aren't supposed to go into my room, you are a gi-"The furious look on her eyes and the wild movement of her brushy hair made him realize it was not moment to discuss such a topic. "I will go and try to speak to Ginny."

"NO!"

"Why not?"

"Because I… I need you to go bring me a potion, a relaxing potion, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey must have some, go ask her, and think in a proper excuse."

"Be right back!" he turned, but then faced Hermione again, taking her arm. "And, Hermione…"

"Yes?"

"He won't say a word to me, I really don't know why, but he will share with you. Please, Mione, I know you can fix this, you have no idea how important this is for him, or my sister."

"I… I am sure this is nothing to be concerned about, Ron, maybe it is just a difference in opinions." She felt terrible lying to him, it was clear he was dead worried and he had no idea why, which only increased his frustration and anxiety.

Ron gave her a soft smile and then left, allowing Hermione to face Harry, who was clearly aware of her presence but still full covered by the sheet. She entered the room and flicked her wand to the door, locking the door and silencing the room. The girl walked till she was in front of the boy and sat down on the floor, right in front of him, keeping a short distance.

"Harry, It is me, Hermione, what happened?"

"It's over, Mione." No, it could not be, they were supposed to talk things over and make up, this could not be happening, not because of her.

"Wha-what do you mean it is over?"

"I messed it up in every possible way… Ginny broke up with me." Hermione's jaw dropped, not finding any word or action to say, this had escalated out of any expected results.

 **Thank you for all the support, I just wanted to say that, although I am aware the dancing scene was not part of the books, I really loved how it worked in the movies, so I decided to reference it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 7:**

Hermione stayed there with her mouth open and her body frozen. If she would have known this was going to happen, she would have obliviated them, that would have been definitely less complicated than this. Or under the worst scenario, tell Harry about the potion, since he was clearly not part of it, but how was she supposed to know? Everything was normal four days ago!

"This is my fault." She exclaimed running out of air and suffocating, thought there was nothing in her mouth.

"No, no Hermione, it was me…" The boy let go a sigh. "She was mad, and I was so nervous, and… I would have broken up with myself." Even when he was hiding under the sheet, Hermione noticed he was getting smaller and smaller.

"I don't understand, did you do something?"

"It's not what I did, but what I said." She felt her heart pound, her eyes opened wide and she couldn't avoid but pulling the sheet off him, looking for his eyes, but noticing instead a bruise in his lip.

"What did you say, Harry Potter?" The boy avoided eye contact for a second.

"I think she may have understood we have been cheating on her."

"WHAT?!" Hermione quickly stood up, not believing what the boy said, and started walking around the room, quickly mumbling something inaudible for Harry. Then, she suddenly stopped and turned around to face the boy, who shrank in his place. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Well…"

 _Harry was waiting in the common room, sitting next to Ron who was completely immersed in a discussion with Dean. When Ginny got into the room, and before he could even stand, the girl stopped in front of him._

" _We need to talk, follow me." Her voice was commanding and distant, the boy stood up without thinking. Not sure what to say, they both walked in silence for the castle hallways till they were outside, Ginny guided him till a wood bench near some trees and sat down, which Harry considered an invitation and took place next to her. "Alright, Harry Potter, I've been thinking about what I saw, and I have decided that I want to hear what you and Hermione have to say before jumping into conclusions. What on the magic world was that about? And be honest! I will know if you lie."_

" _Ginny, I know you are mad" the girl just crossed her arms, indicating he was right. "But… The truth is… I still don't know really well what happened, Hermione just left running, I got worried so I followed her. When I finally caught her she hum… she did kiss me, and I swear it, Ginny, I was so confused, I had no idea what was happening, so I… I stopped her."_

" _I saw that."_

" _You did? Then you know I-"_

" _Do you know what hurt me the most?" The girl lifted and hugged her legs._

"… _The kiss?"_

" _Hermione was the one who kissed you, but you were the one who hugged her back." She stopped a second, looking at his hands. "How long?"_

" _How long what?"_

" _How long has this been happening? For how long has Hermione liked you? Is that why she broke up with Ron? Did you know about this? Of course, you knew." Ginny looked away, her voice starting to tremble. "…do you like her back?"_

" _What? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, Ginny, you got it all wrong. Hermione doesn't like me, I mean, yes she likes me." Her face disfigured. "But as a friend! Not like..." he started moving his hands, just as Hermione did earlier._

" _How are you so sure?"_

" _Because she told me."_

" _She told you she likes you like a…" She moved her hands imitating him. "When did she tell you that?"_

"… _Hum… this… this morning" He was getting more and more nervous with every question._

" _Oh, so you talked about this alone."_

" _Well… yeah." The moment he answered he realized it was a trap, and he fell for it._

" _And then what? She told you she doesn't like you 'like that'" and then what?" he remained in silence, trying to think in an answer that could not get this any worse, but the longest he took, the redder Ginny's face got._

" _We danced."_

" _You danced?!" It was clear she took it as some serious dancing, because her voice sounded more offended than ever before._

" _Let me explain! Hermione was confused, I was confused, and then… Oh God, hum… have you ever felt like suddenly doing something out of nowhere just because it seemed as a good idea at the moment, but your brain screamed it was really not?" For a moment the boy thought Ginny was going to hit him, but then she inhaled and held her breath._

" _And you have this feeling often around her?"_

" _Just a couple times." And then it happened, her upper lip twitched and he felt the punch on his face, particularly on his mouth, making him fall from the bench._

" _You can go and dance, kiss or hug as much as you feel like it, I don't mind, because we are not longer in a relationship." And she walked away, trying to hold her tears, leaving behind a baffled and sore Harry._

Hermione left herself fall on Ron's bed, sitting in a defeated position, holding her head with both hands and not minding about her hair blocking her vision.

"You were the one who said Ginny was not going to fall for that explanation."

"I know, I know! But I was so nervous, and there were so many questions, I only could think in the conversation we had. Ooooow… Ron is going to hate me forever."

"Ron is going to hate you forever? Is he, Harry? They, Ginny and Ron, and most likely all the Weasley family is going to hate both of us forever."

"You were not in the woods when we destroyed the locket, Hermione, you have no idea how difficult this is going to be for Ron, he is going to be devastated."

"Why? What happened in the woods?" Harry remembered the locket's illusion and then compared it with their real kiss, not much different actually, but still too uncomfortable to be discussed, besides, after all that happened, it was time for him to simply shut up.

"Nothing."

"Oh no, you already spoke, you are going to tell me what happened." The moment Hermione jumped from the bed to face Harry, Ron opened the door, holding a small flask.

"Hi! Good to see you decided to get rid of the sheet." The other two froze; Harry just smiled at Ron, completely unable to say anything.

"Hi, Ron, I was just… I was just leaving." Hermione stood straight and picked her bag up the floor.

"Great, I'll leave with you."

"Why would you leave with me?" Ron ignored her and gently took her arm and dragged her out of the room.

"I will be right back, buddy." After carefully closing the door, Ron faced her. "Alright, Hermione, what did he tell you? What is going on?"

"Well… he and Ginny had a fight, that is quite obvious, but I couldn't get to the details," It was clear Ron had gotten rid of the locking charm, but maybe muffliato was still working, so she undid it before continuing "SINCE HE WAS CRYING SO BAD, he is really upset, he even THREW A PILLOW, he is sorry for that, I told him to not worry, because I WILL FIX THIS, by talking to Ginny, and now he is feeling MUCH BETTER and ready for tomorrow's QUIDDITCH MATCH." There were some low noises in the room by the moment she finished talking, but Ron didn't pay much attention.

"So… you will fix it."

"I will try."

"You are the best, Hermione, thank you, one hundred thank you. We are becoming aurors next year, I hope, so this quidditch season is going to be our last and obviously I will try to speak to him, too."

"Oh yes, I understand, that is why he said he was GOING TO SLEEP RIGHT NOW, so he could rest for the big match."

"You are right… we will worry about this after the game, it is already late. Good night, Mione."

"Good night, Ron." She could see from behind Ron how Harry was pretending to sleep, with his hair recently made a mess and a pillow on the floor.

After closing the door she turned around and went to the girls dorms, it was really late, and wasn't sure if Ginny would be reachable, especially considering her position as chaser in the Gryffindor team. Gathering bravery she knocked on the door, which was opened by a younger girl, who she recognized as Ginny's roommate.

"Oh, it was you…"

"Is Ginny available? I really need to talk to-"

"She said you were going to come, and to give you this." The girl handed a piece of parchment to Hermione. Then, she turned around, looking at something inside the room, which was not visible from Hermione's position. "She… she is not reachable, she is not feeling well right now. Please, do not come again." And she slammed the door on her face, which actually didn't bother Hermione, since she was too busy unfolding the piece of paper.

" _I can't avoid you forever, if you wanna talk, I will be in the common room during the quidditch match." –Ginevra Weasley._

Hermione knew how much Ginny hated her given name. It was definitely not good she was signing with it, it just proofed the girl was distancing herself. Besides of that, she also was disturbed by the time, wasn't Ginny going to participate in the game? Playing quidditch was her life; there was nothing she liked more than it… maybe Harry.

The Gryffindor girl returned to her room, feeling extremely hungry, tired and sleepy, this was becoming overwhelming, and even though she really wanted to rest, it was impossible, her thoughts kept her awake till the daylight hit her window. She got up and prepared for the day as usual, bathroom, clothes, pretending to have breakfast, everything on her own, since neither of the boys was to be found, which was actually normal during any game morning, they were more likely preparing themselves for it in the practice field. Ten minutes for the match and most of the students had left the common room. Once they all left she found herself alone, sitting close to the chimney, trying to calm down by reading a fairy tale, though every word made sense on its own, there was no way to connect them with each other.

"I was told you wanted to talk to me." Ginny appeared from behind her and crossed the room to sit in the farthest sofa.

"Ginny!" Hermione intended to stand, but quickly realized the girl was too cold for physical contact, she took seat straight, trying to control her hair by brushing it with her hands. "Yes, I wanted to talk to you. Thanks for acceding to meet me."

"I gave Harry the chance; I thought it would be fair to listen to you as well… though I already listened enough."

"Harry… Harry told me what happened. I mean, between you two."

"Oh is that so, Hermione? Then I assume you are here to try and keep our friendship, despite the betrayal."

"No, Ginny! Listen, this is just a great, huge misunderstanding, Harry made a terrible job explaining what happened. You see-"

"So you didn't kiss?"

"No we… we did kiss, but it was not him! I was the one who kissed him, if he did something, it was to stop me. If you want to be mad at someone, then that one should be me."

The red-haired girl rolled her eyes, seeming exasperated and then looked back at Hermione "Do not play that on me, Hermione. I know Harry corresponds your feelings, I know this is not the first time it happens, I saw you two, together, not just you."

"That was-"

"No, I am not here to listen to excuses or lies, could you just tell me why?"

Hermione started to realize what Harry meant by nervous, Ginny was driving her crazy. "Why… why did I kiss Harry?" She was not prepared for that question; she really wanted to tell Ginny about the potion, Snape was going to be angry at her anyways because of Harry. "There is something-".

"No, Hermione, I want to know why didn't you two tell me? It would've hurt, but it would have been better than being cheated on for Merlin knows how long, I trusted you, I told you I liked him, I opened my heart to both of you and I-" She couldn't help it anymore and the tears started to run through her face while still yelling, though her voice seemed to turn off a bit with every word. "You were my friends, my best friends, know I don't know who to trust, and I thought that maybe if I came here and talk to you, I could get rid of this feeling, but it is only getting worse, I want both of you to be happy, but I-"

"I kissed Snape."

Ginny immediately stopped yelling and held her breath to control the sobbing, after a few seconds she was able to talk again. "You what?"

"I kissed Professor Severus Snape, the potions teacher… on the lips." Hermione stated this in such a sharp voice that Ginny wasn't sure if it was all a scam or dead serious.

"…Oh no, you didn't."

"Yes, I did, and I probably would have done it twice if I hadn't fallen asleep on him."

"ON him?"

"His lap."

"What do you mean on his lap? What are you talking about?" The conversation took a turn she was definitely not expecting.

"I mean, Ginny, that as I said before, this is all just a misunderstanding… I do not like Harry, neither does he like me. I will tell you something, because I trust you are not involved on it at all, and you won't say a word about this to anyone."

Ginny was puzzled, she had gotten there thinking their friendship was over, and now she was swearing to keep a secret as a confident. "I don't know what you are talking about, Hermione, but if it involves kissing Snape, I think it is serious enough to keep my mouth shut."

"There is someone in this castle who has been somehow administrating me some kind of potion; rather that or hexing me, but professor Snape believes it to be a potion."

"And this potion is causing you to do what exactly?" Hermione has always been someone to trust, but this seemed just too convenient.

"I… I am not sure, it seems to have submissive effects, since I follow simple instructions under its influence, but I have not found any potion that matches that description."

"I don't understand, if it causes you to follow simple instructions, are you trying to tell me that both, Harry AND Snape asked you to kiss them?"

"Oh no, not at all, every time the potion makes effect I can't control my body any longer, and it just does whatever it wants, and I am inside it, unable to do anything."

"Let me guess: your body feels like suddenly doing something out of nowhere, because it seems as a good day but your brain screams it is really not?"

"Basically, yes."

"That is exactly what Harry said, did you two planned all this?"

"By Merlin, Ginny, I swear it is true, just tell me, what do you need to believe me?"

"How about Snape backing up your story?"

"WHAT? Oh no, you can't ask him, he made me promise I was not going to tell anyone about this. He thinks whoever is doing this is someone really close to me."

"Why would I give you such a potion, Hermione? You kissed my boyfriend." For some reason, Hermione felt like correcting her by saying 'ex boyfriend' but it was not a really smart idea, so just let it go.

"I know, I know, that's why I am telling you. Please, Ginny, this has not been easy for me, either. Kissing Professor Snape was mortifying, I really thought I was getting expelled, and I did try to run from Harry, but he decided to follow me. If you ask me, I think the only reason for him to not knock me out was because he was too freaked out and baffled."

Ginny considered all of that, she seemed to be right, it made kinda sense. "Alright… I think I can understand… but you know what would make me believe you a bit more?"

"Anything that does not involve Professor Snape would be great for me."

"Tell me all the details." Hermione suddenly felt her face becoming red and let go a nervous giggle.

"Do you mean telling you the details about the potion effects?"

"Yes, about the potion effects, about Harry and especially about Snape, I lived most of my life with Fred and George, Hermione, I know that the key to discover a liar is in the details."

"Ooook, if this helps you and Harry…" The girl swallowed as much air as she could, trying to recover the normal color of her face. "The day Snape returned to Hogwarts, I had gotten earlier to the classroom, so I was waiting for the others to come… they didn't, it was Snape instead who appeared. We didn't interact much, he simply sat down on his desk and started to read som-"

"Too many unnecessary details, Hermione, get to the interesting part."

"Which would be…?" She was clear what Ginny meant, but that was a topic she wasn't feeling ready to discuss yet.

"The part in which you kiss Snape." Hermione half covered her face with her left hand; she couldn't believe she was having this conversation.

"I felt numb and dizzy, as I was alone with him, I started to worry I could pass out, then my body just decided to stand up, I was scared of what was happening, but at the same time, it did feel… cozy, as floating in clouds. I... walked towards him, though I really didn't want to. I stopped in front of his desk, which caught his attention, so he asked me something I can't remember and then…"

As Hermione stopped and stared at some point in the middle of nothing, Ginny finished the sentence for her "you kissed a professor, Hermione Jeanne Granger!"

"Do not say it like that! It is embarrassing! But yes… I did." Feeling mortified she buried her face in her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"And then what?"

"What do you mean by then what?"

"Well, you said something about his lap, did you jumped over him, did he return the kiss? You said harry stopped you, you never said Snape did so."

"Oh my God, Ginny! Of course he stopped me!… kind of, he was shocked so he just moved away and yelled something at me, in that moment I felt like recovering control of my body so I left running… that was the day I supposedly felt sick and the boys had to retrieve my stuff from the potions class."

"I remember that, I brought you some toasts the following day because you were still feeling bad."

"I was desperately trying to avoid him."

"Wait a minute…. Didn't you have detention with him like two days later?"

"Yes! He knew all along I was hiding from him, so he decided to send me to detention on his own, though I did give him a reason…" As Ginny just looked at her with much attention, she decided to continue, before another round of questions. "I tried to ignore the obvious reason for my detention, but it didn't take him long to make me confess… I apologized for kissing him, and then we discussed the hum… reasons. It appeared he knew all along that I was not in my five senses when it happened."

"You must be the first student to do something like that to him... or woman, I am not really sure." Hermione gave Ginny an outraged look.

"I really hope this is not a regular problem for him, Ginny, I think he already has had enough. Now… as I was saying, we jumped into the conclusion that it was a onetime thing, maybe something went wrong and fixed itself… when I started to feel it again." The girl looked at her own hands and moved them, as making sure she was not going through it in the moment. "His voice sounded as it was far away and I could no longer feel my arms, before I realized I was already on his desk."

"You jumped on Snape's desk! That must take some guts."

"I wouldn't say jump… it was really slow and awkward, everything felt soft, like I was stepping on glass, a very soft and comfortable glass and I remember considering simply lying on it, but then he spoke and his voice was… so smooth, more than usual, he requested for me to obviously climb off the desk, as I was making a mess out of it, and I did. Standing in front of him he held my face rather abrupt and scanned me for a few seconds, but…" As Hermione stopped to find the words, Ginny looked at her with much attention, this was by far the greatest gossip she had and most likely will ever hear, it was about non less than Professor Snape, she would have never pictured something like this could actually happen. "I really had this urge to wrap myself and let my body rest, so I moved forward, pushing him, which he wasn't expecting so he fell on the chair, oh Ginny, I swear that in that very moment that seemed the best place to cuddle in the complete world." Ginny chuckled, she couldn't believe Hermione had just said those words aloud, she was not exactly shy, but it was clear this was not her comfort zone.

"So you just sat on him and what? Take a nap?" Hermione didn't answer; instead she just bit her bottom lip and stared at Ginny with her face completely red. "Oh my, didn't he try to stop you?"

"I… I don't know, I think he did, I could feel him moving, but I really don't know because the moment I placed my head on his shoulder I fell asleep. Next thing I knew I was on a sofa in his office."

"Was he angry?"

"No, not really, I actually think he was… concerned, perhaps, you know he is not well known for being easy to read. So maybe he was furious. We arranged a meeting for this evening; we will try to find a solution, a culprit or anything that could help me."

"Are you sure it is someone close…? Because I don't intend to point at anyone, especially not my own family, but… isn't Ron the most obvious option?" Hermione sat on the sofa's edge.

"I have been telling myself to ignore that option, he may be many things, but not a-" The girl couldn't finish the sentence, since Ginny's roommate appeared in the room through the Fat Lady portrait, panting and sweating, it was clear she had gotten there running.

"Ginny! It is Harry!" Both girls stood up at the realization something had happened. "A bludger hit him in the middle of the air, he fell against a goal basket, Ron couldn't catch him and now he is in the Hospital Wing, Ron told me to get you."

Ginny looked at Hermione who nodded at her "You should go, he needs you now, not me." The girl left with her friend, while Hermione stayed in the room, waiting for the others to return and ask them what had happened, feeling much better now, and being aware that both of her friends were more likely to make up.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 8:**

It had been a long wait, since many students had returned, but none that she could naturally approach and speak to. Not until Ron appeared in the room, clearly looking for something, which Hermione realized was her in the exact moment their eyes met and the boy hurried to her side and hugged her with all his strength, till she couldn't feel the floor under her feet.

"Thank you!" The boy let go of her and she gained balance after the unexpected lift. "I was dead worried when I didn't see Ginny in the game, but they are back together now."

Hermione let go a sigh of relief "That is good to know, how is Harry?"

"Oh, he will be fine, I mean, he did break a couple bones, and he did lose a lot of blood, but he already woke up and Madam Pomfrey says it is just time for him to fully recover."

"What happened in the game? Everybody is so gloomy I am only guessing we lost?"

"Of course we lost, Hermione, Ginny was not in the game, Harry was so distracted he didn't mind moving an inch for more than half an hour and we had to get a last minute chaser, who seemed to confuse a quaffle with a bludger and hit his own finder… never again, I will never again question Ginny's position in the team."

"I hope she doesn't get scolded."

"Madam Hooch will, she was furious when Ginny didn't present on time…" the boy whispered moving closer to Hermione "We tried to excuse her, but appearing sound and safe in front of Madam Pomfrey will more surely blow the cover up."

"Well… congrats for Huflepuff, then." Ron simply nodded in silence while looking at her.

"I'll go change, see you later for lunch?"

"Sure, see you later."

Ginny spent the rest of the day with Harry in the Hospital Wing, so Hermione did have lunch with Ron, trying to push away her suspicions on him. It couldn't be, right? He wouldn't dare, but just to be safe, her intentions were to wait for him to finish and leave. Just in case. Sadly, this didn't happen, the boy insisted in waiting for her. Finally sighing and taking the decision to excuse herself by pretending to be sick and saving her food for later, she could eat something after her meeting with Professor Snape, at night, when there was no chance of getting poisoned and assaulting others in the safety of her room at one am.

Half past six she excused herself from Ron's company and told him she had a lot of questions about a difficult potion, so she was going to the library, she panicked when the boy offered himself to walk her, so she did her best to explain her doubts in the most confusing and boring way possible, even involving Madam Pince. Finally, the boy gave up and chose to visit Harry instead.

She prepared her bag with all the food that was exclusive for her and therefore questionable, decided for some casual clothes as jeans and a comfortable sweater, since this was not precisely detention, and headed to the dungeons.

Snape's office door didn't seem as terrifying as it used to be. The man opened the door and lowered his eyes.

"Evening." He kept the door opened for her, as an invitation.

"Good evening, professor." The girl moved into the room, and waited for the man to close the door, she was worried he could ask questions as if something had happened, so she wanted to measure his mood before letting him now.

"Take a seat." The girl doubted between the chair and the sofa, looking at both with hesitant eyes. So, as a way to clarify how she was still not allowed to approach the desk, he took place in the chair, only letting the sofa for her.

"I came with casual clothes, I hope you don't mind." She commented this noticing how the man was still wearing his usual robe, but not the cloak.

"It is Saturday, Miss Granger, you are allowed to come with whatever you feel more comfortable. Besides, I have to say your current… outfit, is much adequate for tonight's plan."

"Tonight's plan? Do you have something in mind, professor?" The man fixed his eyes in the bag hanging from her shoulder.

"Did you bring what was requested?" She quickly took her bag and placed it on the coffee table in front of her, emptying its content.

"Yes, I did, sir. I brought all the food which seemed easy to transport, excepting the things that may have rotten, I discarded those."

The potions master inspected all of it without moving, bread, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, nothing too messy or liquid. "Was all of this specifically for you?"

"It was, I pretended to partially eat them, that is why some of them are incomplete." The man stopped looking at the food and instead stared at Hermione's figure, not paying much attention to any particular zone, not intending to get her uncomfortable.

"Have you been eating properly, Miss Granger?" The girl was to respond, but then froze and looked back at the man, adjusting her sweater and softly coughing, suddenly feeling self-conscious of her body.

"… I have not, sir, I do not feel safe eating anymore."

"I can understand your apprehension towards food, but you cannot continue to avoid eating, you will fall sick." And there she was again, feeling like a scolded 6 years old in front of her father. "We will find out if your fears are justified, Miss Granger, if they are so, I will make sure to provide both, food and drink myself if necessary."

"That would be really considerate of you, sir."

"Not at all, it is actually the least I could do under such circumstance… however, that is still to be confirmed. This complete meeting as you called it yesterday, may be completely unnecessary, since you have not experienced anything out of normal, I'd like to think whoever did it-"

"Sir!" The topic was back, and she was positive the man would kill her if she didn't confessed then, so she gathered all her courage and interrupted him. He immediately closed his mouth and focused his attention on her with his brows up in disbelief of such lack of respect. "Something did happen." He frowned, but said nothing. "I…" She stopped, not sure exactly where to start.

"Say it, Granger, I have been waiting since yesterday to hear it." Oh God, he knew it, he always knew.

"Did you know?"

"I know something happened, I am not stupid, I asked you twice, just say it so we can move forward." She girl quivered in her place, he was definitely upset, but not particularly angry.

"I kissed Harry." Her soft voice settled in the room, the girl held her breath expecting for the man's reaction, which was taking forever. "… Sir?"

"I heard you, Miss Granger, you kissed Harry Potter, go on." Unsure if he meant to continue talking about the kiss, or to move to another topic, she analyzed his expression, which seemed a bit annoyed, but she couldn't tell if it was because of Harry or because she kept it a secret for two days. "If you feel uncomfortable telling me, perhaps you would rather show me." Her eyes widened, he couldn't be implying he wanted her to…

"Show you …? Do you mean…?"

"I mean, that perhaps it would be more convenient to let me see the memories through your mind, instead of looking for the words to verbalize it."

"You want to use legeremens on me, sir?" His lips curled in annoyance.

"I don't want to, I am just offering you the option, since you seem to have problems to express it yourself."

"Oh… in that case, I think I'd rather speak for myself, at least for now." The man nodded in agreement, and she had to admit that the other option kind of scared her, so she felt more confident at the moment of speaking "It happened two days ago, in the library, I tried to run away from Harry, but he followed me" Snape's brows rose with attention "I intended to hide in an empty classroom, but my body froze before that, I though in lying on the floor, but Harry got me by my wrist and… I kissed him."

The man said nothing, but nodded his head, letting her know she was to continue.

"Well… he pushed me away, but the potion was still working so I hugged him… just that." She looked up at the potions teacher, who was listening to her with his hand supporting his head. "He hugged me back, and that was it, nothing else happened." She could feel her cheeks burning, trying to ignore the embarrassment; not intending to make the man more suspicious. He remained in silence, before reclining in the chair and crossing his arms.

"What explanation did you offer him?"

"I don't know if you knew, sir, but Harry has a girlfriend… Ginny Weasley."

"I've heard rumors." She questioned if he had also heard rumors about her own former relationship with Ron, and pointed the topic to be discussed later.

"So I explained to him that I hold no romantic interest on him, that what happened was just a misunderstanding and that it would never happen again… he understood, Harry is like that, he was really baffled at the beginning but I think things are back to normal now."

"You have shown yourself a clever witch" He expressed this as a fact not as a personal appreciation, still placing a smile in Hermione's face. "Do you think that Mr. Potter could be somehow related to all of this?"

"I really don't think so, sir, he was pretty embarrassed and upset for what had happened. Besides, he is not the kind to cheat on his girlfriend."

"I will take your word, though, I still wouldn't suggest letting him know about your condition, he may not be the one to blame, but he could tell on you with others unwarned." His tone of voice implied so much than just a friendly advice, could he be thinking about Ron too? She attempted to protest, but the man sat straight again and stated "Never lie to me again, Miss Granger, I will not tolerate your lack of commitment."

"Yes, sir." She avoided his eyes, fearing the man could see there was still a secret in her mind. Ginny.

"Now that we have lost enough time in this flighty gossip, you should have something to eat." She felt so thankful, practically starving after three days of poorly eating. But there was a problem, though the man made such a comment, there was still no food around, was he expecting her to beg for it? "Consider this a safe environment, Miss Granger, and decide for whatever you like on that table, once we had made sure the food is or not safe, I will provide other options for you." He was actually requesting her to eat the food she brought; the one she suspected was to intoxicate her. She looked in his eyes, realizing he was definitely not joking and selected a sandwich from that very morning.

The man carelessly looked at her while she ate it, and then smiled, standing up and sitting behind his desk, Hermione had the unsettling feeling this was his wicked way to punish her for her so-called lack of commitment.

"What now, sir?"

"Now we wait, it may take between one or two hours, I warned you this was going to be a long evening, Miss Granger." She stayed there with her mouth half opened, staring at the man who took a book from the closest bookcase and started to read it, not looking back at her not even once.

It had been around an hour, the girl had already gotten to the sixth chapter in a book expressly lent to her by Snape to keep her mind busy and not thinking in the coming effects. When she felt it, at the beginning she thought it was because of the cold place, but soon realized it was only the numbness in her legs, because the rest of her body was feeling much warmer than five minutes ago.

"Professor!" She looked up at him, trying to warn him, the man simply took his wand from the pocket of his robes and rose from the chair.

"Do not panic, girl, remain calm." Did he just call her girl? She didn't give it much of a thought; her mind was racing, worrying what she would be capable of doing, till the warm feeling was all over her thoughts became blurry. She threw herself to the floor in a heavy motion, and thought she looked at Snape, she immediately focused her attention on the food that was still displayed on the table and started to devour it with no grace.

"Miss Granger?" The girl completely ignored him; this was not expected at all. He looked at her quickly swallow every edible item she could find. He tried to approach her, but in the minute his hand got close to an apple the girl pierced him with the eyes and smacked his hand, he could swear he heard her growl. "Fascinating." The man snorted and stepped away, amused by such a behavior in someone who was well known for having solid good manners. Suddenly, an idea hit his mind; he approached a cupboard and took a glass from it, returning to the closer chair to the girl and sitting. About ten minutes later there was nothing else to eat around, but the girl still seemed intoxicated. " _Aguamenti_." He poured crystal water in the glass from before, making sure to catch Hermione's attention.

"Would you like some, Miss Granger?" The girl slowly nodded and started to move in her hands and knees in his direction. "Stop." The young witch immediately froze in place. "Continue." Now she was following orders, the man tensed a little when the girl placed her hands in his knees. "Don't". She didn't take her hands off, but it prevented her from any further movement. The man held her the glass and she drank it all. After which he considered to have seen enough and flicked his wand at her, causing the girl's body to fall in the ground, sound asleep.

Hermione woke up, once again lying on the sofa with the black blanket covering her legs, feeling disoriented but particularly relaxed, as waking up from a very pleasant dream. At least till she remembered what had happened and abruptly sat straight, trying to recover her lost dignity.

"I am so so sorry, professor, I don't know what was all that about, I swear I would never behave like that if it was not because of that potion, I-" She was mortified, that was clear, though the man couldn't tell if it was because of her moving like an animal on four legs, the growl or the smack she gave to his hand. Finally, leaving his quill on the desk, he focused his attention on her.

"I have to say, it is quite interesting how you profusely apologize for this last event, when it took you so long to even admit the first one." Her face went crimson red. "You don't need to apologize, it is understandable, instead of that, I'd like you to answer some questions." The girl nodded, and observed him stand and move from the desk to a cupboard, from which he took a small bottle and handed it to her "Drink."

"Sir, is this…?"

"Do not flatter yourself, Miss Granger, I would not waste veritaserum for such a reason, this is just wideye potion, now drink." She was unsure of his intentions, but trusted his instructions and did as was told. After that, the man took seat in the closest chair once more, with his legs crossed. "You will need to be as honest as possible, have in mind that this is not a casual conversation or a friendly camping in the park, both of us need this to be efficient and real."

"I will do my best."

"What are your feelings for the Potter boy?"

"I already told you, professor, Harry is my friend, and just my friend, I wouldn't like it in any other way." The man analyzed her expression, which was really serious and calm, expressing how sure she was of her words.

"Then, what would you say are your feelings towards me? And please, do not say you like me as a professor, because that is not what I asked." She paralyzed, what was she supposed to say? Hermione's mind started to consider a wide variety of different nouns and adjectives to describe her feelings, ' _respect, admiration, gratitude, affection, did I just think affection?'_ she got puzzled in the last one, it sounded out of place, all of the other words were professionally related, but affection was not, did she really feel like that for him? When did she start to feel it? "And well?"

"Hum…" Her mouth was opened as she still couldn't erase the word from her mind. The man rolled his eyes, exasperated for such a late response for what he considered a not so difficult question.

"I will make it easier for you, since you seem to be out of answers for the first time in seven years." Well, that comment made her easier to forget her problem "Respect, hatred, admiration, discomfort, disgust or fear, maybe." Why there were only two positive options? Was the man's self esteem really that low?

"Why is hatred an option?"

"Answer the question."

"I would say respect."

"What about the other options? Does any of them also apply?"

"Admiration, I think admiration also applies for how I feel about your work, sir."

"Any other…?"

"I do not hold any negative feeling towards you if that is what you expect me to say." Irritated for the nonstop attack to himself.

"Are you currently in a relationship?"

"No, sir." As the man's brows rose slightly, she added "Ron and I broke up, about a month ago." Even when she never expected to discuss this with any professor, she found it strangely familiar and comfortable to be discussed with him, it didn't seem out of place or forced, if it was to be compared to something, it was like talking to a doctor or therapist. The idea of Snape as a psychologist sounded too weird to be considered, though.

The man seemed to fight his thoughts for a moment, there was something in his mind, and based on the soft inclination of his head, Hermione was only to assume he was preparing to step out of his comfort zone, till he bit his tongue, whatever he was thinking was gone.

"Do you think Ron could be related to all of this?" Before the man could answer, there was a dong sound coming from somewhere in the room, which was apparently ignored by the Potions Master, but caught Hermione's attention.

"Have you ever participated in the testing of a complete new potion, Miss Granger?"

"No, sir, but it sounds engaging." The girl answered considering the question unrelated to the topic, but much interesting, while still looking for the source of the sound.

"It is a long process, which takes several steps, such as hazard control, and multiple trial and error scenarios, including using the potion in different dose, so one can know what ingredients should be increased, diminished or plainly deleted from the recipe. It has been about one hour since you had every piece of food on the table and now we are to see its true potential. I shall warn you… it may feel different from previous times." While explaining all of it, he had slipped from the chair to the exact opposite of the room and wielded his wand pointing at nothing in particular, yet.

Hermione couldn't pay much attention to the exact words, since from the moment he started talking her body went completely numb, she felt herself melt on the sofa, feeling her entire system on fire, this was beyond any warmness, it was an explosion. Her eyes traveled from the chair to the man, and then to every corner of the room, after a minute of blankly staring at nothing, she stood up and walked towards him with a firm pace, even stepping on the small coffee table.

The Potions Master waited for her in his place, till she was one meter from him, then he lifted his wand, causing the girl to immediately stop. "Are you still there, Miss Granger?" it appeared to take her a while to understand the question, nodding slowly at the beginning but faster with every breath. "Looking for something?"

The girl's eyes focused on his hand, still pointing at her, more specifically, to her heart.

"I am afraid, I cannot lower my wand, for the best of us." Ignoring his words, the girl touched the man's hand, caressing his skin with her fingertips. It utterly baffled him; he was not prepared for that. He expected the girl to fight, jump, scream or do something completely savage as before, but not this. She did this while staring at his eyes, like asking for permission. Severus Snape wasn't really open to many things, but he had to admit that the current events were waking up his curiosity, deciding it was still too riskful to disarm himself; he took the wand with his left hand, allowing the girl to completely manipulate his right. "I am still holding my wand, Miss Granger, I know you are not exactly in control right now, but this is just a reminder this is a safe environment as long you don't do anything too stupid."

She took his hand and cupped it in her own cheek while caressing it, getting it tangled between some locks of her hair. It started to get awfully intimate when he felt moist and soft kisses carefully displayed on his hand and wrist. Feeling uneasy, not only as a professor, but as a man, he quickly removed himself from her grasp.

"Sorry." She commented softly, while stepping forward and pressuring him against a bookcase, tossing two of them to the floor.

"Enough."

A simple movement from his wand and she went unconscious, vaguely supported by his right arm, stopping her from hitting the floor. It was already too late to be awake, too late to be in company of a student, and too late to be questioning his decisions.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 9:**

The morning light hit her eyes, feeling her body too heavy to move, she stared at the ceiling, it was not Snape's but her own room she was in. There were no memories of how she got there, the last thing she could remember was holding Snape's hand against her cheek, and though it was embarrassing, she considered it to be less intimate than sitting onto his lap, so she just shook the thought of it and rolled to her left side. Much to her surprise, she found a complete breakfast served on her desk. Doing the math, she smiled and removed herself from the bed, immediately noticing she was still wearing the same clothes as last night.

"He must have brought me here." She looked at her feet, only socks on her wiggling toes, she tried to portray the potions master fighting with her shoelaces to take her sneakers off, he seemed to be quite more used to buttons. Hermione moved to the desk, and was delighted to see how nice of a breakfast she had been spoiled with; Sandwiches, tea, milk, and between the juice and cookies, there was a letter with neat handwriting.

' _I trust this will compensate for over a week of poor eating. Expect this to happen at lunch time as well. See you this evening in my office - S.S'_

She smiled and let the card on the table, she wasn't quite sure why, but the day felt wonderful, the lighting, the still somehow warm air, the flavor of the tea, strong and sweet. Slowly eating and enjoining every piece of food, while still mesmerized by the handwriting in the letter, she felt a knock on the door. Not sure what to do with the food, she simply calmed herself and stood up to open the door, but just enough for her face to be seen.

"Hi, Mione, I didn't see you in the Great Hall, so I thought to pass by and see how you were doing, you know, everything alright after the hum… meeting?" Hermione remained silent for a few seconds, trying to understand the clear hidden intentions in Ginny's words.

"What meeting?" but she failed, she was feeling really slow this morning.

"Your meeting with, you know-" Ginny looked around, to make sure no one was listening, and proceeded to talk in a much exasperated but low voice "Your meeting with Snape, I waited for you yesterday, to talk, but it was already midnight and you were not back, oh for Merlin's sake, can I just come in?"

"Ahm…" Hermione turned around to see the breakfast, what would Ginny think of it?

"Wait a minute, aren't those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?... Hermione, did you just got here?! Did you spend the night with-" Ginny's voice was getting louder, before she could freak out any further, Hermione pulled her in the room and shut the door closed.

"Shut your mouth, Ginny! There are other prefects in this floor! They could have listened!"

"… I'm sorry, Hermione, but all of this is just- wait, why were you having breakfast here?" Ginny looked at the food on the desk with much attention, then she noticed the letter carefully placed next to it, quickly glazing at Hermione, then moving to grab it.

Hermione tried to stop her, but Ginny was faster. "Give me that, Ginny, it was not meant for you."

"I trust this will compensate for-"Hermione tried to take it from her hands, but Ginny moved away while still reading "over a week of poor eating. Expect this to happen at lunch time as well. See you this evening in my office… S.S." She stopped reading and turned to see Hermione, whose face was completely red and looked at Ginny as expecting for a slap in the face or mocking words. "Are you dating Snape?"

"What?! Of course not, Ginny! He is a professor! What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me? That is clearly a dating breakfast, Hermione, the kind you would get after a night of-"

"Ginevra Weasley, don't you dare!"

"… Ok, I'm sorry, Herms, I will you let explain, ok? I will just sit here, next to this carefully displayed and perfectly decorated breakfast and listen to you on what happened."

"Thank you." Her voice so sharp, her relax attitude completely gone.

"Holding this neat handwritten letter." Hermione's face disfigured "I will keep my mouth shut, I swear."

The girl let go an exasperated sigh and then started "I went to his office, as I was supposed to, he made a bunch of questions, I ate all the intoxicated food I had with me and a few hours later, it happened, he just knocked me out, I guess, and here I am."

"That must be the lamest explanation ever, what on earth is 'it happened'? What exactly happened?"

"Nothing, I just… kissed his hand."

"… I don't believe you; you are not acting like that was all. You better tell me, Hermione, this is clearly too much for your own."

"I am honest, Ginny, I just kissed his hand, nothing more that I can remember, next thing I knew I was in my room, already morning."

"So… he brought you here, that is why you are still wearing those clothes." Both girls seemed much calmer now, and Hermione sat on the edge of her bed.

"He offered to provide me with food, considering I had not been eating properly because of the fear to get intoxicated in front of others, that's why he prepared breakfast, not to compensate for anything else…" she started to feel tired, explaining herself was tiresome, she hoped to never have to do it for others, such as McGonagall or even worse, Ron, that would drain all of her energy.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Mione, but you have to admit that after what you told me yesterday and this… Misunderstandings were an option. Besides, Snape preparing breakfasts sounds really odd, especially for a student."

"I guess it does." Hermione smiled and looked at Ginny "How are you and Harry?"

"We talked, he apologized a hundred times, insisted he's never cheated on me, and that you are like a sister, I have to warn you, Hermione, he seems to also doubt you… you sure you don't wanna tell him?"

The girl nodded "I love Harry… as a friend, of course, and he is good with secrets, I guess, but… I don't know, Ginny, I don't know who to trust."

"About that! I've been thinking, and maybe Snape is wrong, maybe it is not some close to you, I've been asking some students from third year, and there is, actually, a price for your head, to say it somehow."

"A what? I am not following you."

"Do you remember the pranking contest I told you about?"

"I sure do, yesterday I had to clean up about three different messes because of it."

"You see, there are points, just like the house points, but for pranking others, you could get a few points for making a simple joke to a friend, but if you play the same joke to a prefect, that gives you double points, for teachers it is the triple amount or something like that, but this is the interesting thing, for some reason, there is a special prize for making a specific joke on you." Hermione's eyes opened wide, could this be…?

"What joke is that?"

"Nobody wanted to tell me, actually, when this boy from third year mentioned your name, the guy who was with him hit him in the head and said something about being disqualified for it."

"I thought this pranking thing was kind of normal for Hogwarts standards, but maybe it is not, maybe it is serious, if they are involving teachers on it, the prize for winning it might be really good."

"I will try to find out more about it, but maybe with others, because third years are starting to get suspicious… you should tell Snape about this, he might be quite better at finding anything out."

"I will definitely tell him this evening."

"And what are you wearing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… what are you wearing this evening? Those jeans again?"

"I… I don't know, Ginny, why would that be important?"

"Well… he is making the effort to give you food and support, haven't you considered wearing something a bit mor-" She couldn't finish the sentence because her face was hit by a pillow.

"Get out of my room, Ginny, it is too early in the morning for this!" The red hair stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'm just saying, Hermione! See you later." She left with a giggle, allowing Hermione to finish her breakfast.

There she was again, walking towards his potions teacher's office, in her way there she saw some students walking around, especially slytherins, and wondered for how long could she go alone to the office without people gossiping on her intentions for so many visits.

A simple knock on the door and she got a response from the inside "Come in." She pushed the door as was told, and found the man to be sitting behind his desk, completely immersed on a parchment, which he closed and let on the desk before placing his eyes on her. "I thank you for coming with no previous arrangement, Miss Granger, take a seat." His hands closed.

She smiled softly at him "Am I allowed sitting at your desk, sir? Has my punishment already been lifted?"

"It was never a punishment, Miss Granger, it was simply temporarily restricted because of your self-called clumsiness… but I think you have regained the privilege."

"Thank you, sir." The girl moved across the room and sat in front of him. "I also would like to thank you for the meals you've provided me with, they have been both, delicious and delightful."

"I'm glad to hear so, I expected it to also, somehow… improve your last night experience, it was not my intention, but I think it might have been too much for a night."

"Not at all, if I am honest, I feel quite good about it." The man's face disarranged, causing Hermione to feel silly about her comment "I mean! It was educational, I think, and I was able to have a complete night of sleep, it had been a while… I am actually sorry for my behavior, as usual, but you must already know so." The man nodded.

"I decided to let you that note, because I wasn't sure of your attendance on your own will today, as you have previously commented on your desire to spend your evenings with me, but never clarified the extension of it."

"I have been thinking about it, sir, and if this does not represent a problem to you, I'd like to request some 'special potion lessons'… since I'd really, really like to spend my time here, at least till this problem of mine is fixed."

"Am I right to assume those so-called special potions lessons are actually the cover for these meetings of ours?"

"I think some students have begun to notice how much time I spend here… alone with you."

"Of course they have, under such circumstance, I'd be pleased to offer you some special potions lessons, let's say… everyday at 7 pm?"

"I'd love to accept, sir, thank you for considering me." The girl smiled at the man, she didn't actually think the conversation could go along like this, feeling glad for this new brand sense of humor of his, she wondered if he had always had it, but never expressed it during classes, or if it was because of this new life they were all living after the war. Whatever it was, she secretly wished for it to only be enjoyed by her. "Sir, before we continue, I would also like to comment you something that has been happening not just to me, but to the school."

"I'm listening."

"You see, third year students seem to have engaged in some kind of pranking contest, reason why there are have been so many incidents lately, especially from gryffindors… and I apologize for it."

"We have already been warned of it, and the apology is not needed, the amount of students from other houses participating in this so-called contest has increased in the paste days, so I think slytherins are the ones to apologize right now."

"So you knew… did you also know that there are extra points for teachers?"

"I was not informed there was a points system of such a nature, could you explain more?"

"I've been told there is a certain amount of points for pranking students, but the amount of points increases, it is doubled in case of prefects and tripled in case of teachers, you should be careful, sir."

"That is quite interesting… but as I have commented before, I do not believe any student to be stupid enough to play a joke on me."

"Also… I have been told that there is a special prize for playing a specific joke on me, I have been thinking, what if all of this is because of this contest? If they were multiple people trying to intoxicate me, that would explain why it happens so often." There was silence for a moment, as Snape tried to collect his thoughts.

"I'd like to discuss this with the Headmistress, but I think you would not like the idea, though you have to admit, Miss Granger, that is quite unsettling."

"I think we can still avoid telling Professor McGonagall about this, right? Maybe we could find out who is running this contest or what is this supposedly prize."

"I cannot promise I will do it, but I think I count with a bit more resources than you do, I will let you know of my findings on such a suspicious matter as soon as I know anything." Hermione nodded and gave him a soft smile.

After a few seconds of silence, in which the man started to feel uneasy, he continued "I believe you remember what happened last night, and based on it, I think I have an idea of the exact effect of this potion… however, I cannot be sure till I run a final test, and for such test I will be in need of your assistance."

"Whatever you need, sir."

"Do you know what surprised me the most when I came back to teach potions?"

"… A brunette witch alone in your classroom?" She could've sworn she saw a smile on his face, at least for a fraction of second.

"That is second on my list. The first mystery for me was, and still remains to be… what are some students I specifically failed doing in my class?" Hermione immediately thought of Neville. "I was told something like… poor boy Neville, he wants to be a healer, but he needs to approve his potions N.E.W.T.S… he couldn't approve his O. W. L. s , I hold no idea what he could possible do in his N.E.W.T.s… I know you were told to work with him, Miss Granger, in some kind of attempt to help him, which I would actually consider to be cheating."

Hermione's mouth opened, not sure what to do, should she support Neville? Stand for him? But deep in her heart, she knew he was right, Neville had improved a lot in these years, but definitely not enough to be in advanced potions.

"I… hum… Neville has improved, professor, I think you could give him a chance, you will see he's doing much better and-"

"Don't, just don't. I am not expelling him from my class, neither I intend to discuss the topic with McGonagall ever again, no, especially not now, not when he can be of use."

"Neville of use? I'm sorry, sir, I think I am not following you."

"I need him, Miss Granger, to run a final test… tomorrow morning, you two are going to fail in the most atrocious way on the preparation of a standard healing potion. Causing mayor destruction in the classroom and endangering other students' wellbeing."

"… Are you asking me to sabotage myself and endanger others?" She was feeling confused, why would her professor want his own classroom destroyed?

"I am asking you to provide me with a reason good enough to send you both to detention… once you are on it, you will feed him with the same food you have been deceived with, you will remain in the room with him for as long as it takes to make effect, are you following me so far, Miss Granger?"

"I think I do, sir, at least the steps for your plan, but not your reasons."

"If everything is as I think, you will understand the moment the potion affects him."

"Couldn't you just explain me now?"

"Do you trust me, Miss Granger?" The girl looked at him, serious, calm.

"I do, sir."

"Then, you will do as you were told, I trust you will know what to do if anything happens, and do not worry for Mr. Longbottom, I will make sure to-"he intentionally stopped, looking for the appropriate words "- clean everything afterwards."

"I just have to make sure to explode the cauldron tomorrow, then?" The man nodded.

"I would advice to overdose the amount of mandrake on it. Once you've been sent to detention, give him all the intoxicating food you have and remain in the room with him, that would be all."

"But wouldn't that be hum… dangerous, maybe, for me? I mean, Neville would never hurt me, but isn't he going to-"The girl said all of it while inclining over the desk, half to whisper, and half to hide her face of the red which was invading her.

"Trust is a key word, Miss Granger."

"I will, sir… see you tomorrow morning, then?" As she removed from the chair, the man took the parchment he was reading before and started to pay much attention to it once more.

"See you in classes, good night."

"Good night." She closed the door and left the place, even if she agreed to the plan, she was feeling uneasy with the idea, since she didn't know what was supposed to happen. She also felt bad for Neville, she was about to make him go through the same she had been through, and it just didn't feel right. But once again, if she didn't do it, how big were her chances of finding a solution for this on her own? She could only trust the expert on the topic and do as she was told, follow every instruction, so she could get her normal life back.

She got to her common room and saw the guys talking around a sofa, a few meters away, carelessly reading a herbology book, was Neville. She tried not to stare at him for too long, but the moment she meant to leave, Neville saw her and greeted her with a wave of his hand and a smile on his face, which she returned in the same way, feeling as guilty as ever. Finally, she left, only to find some tea and cookies on her desk, together with a note.

" _Trust is a keyword. – S.S."_

She let herself fall on the bed and fight her thoughts, before preparing to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them, and I will try to make longer updates.

 **Chapter 10:**

All the students were already sitting at their desks in the potions classroom. Hermione had sat with Neville in the furthest of the room, the most innocuous place the girl could think of, and as expected Ron and Harry followed her and sat in front of them. She tried to think in a reason to tell them to sit in some other place, but it actually didn't matter, whoever sat there was most likely to be rather hurt or deaf for a few minutes. So she simply tried to calm herself and breathed in and out, controlling the nausea.

"Are you feeling well, Hermione?" Neville took her out of her thoughts, placing his hand on her arm. Under any other circumstance this normal act of concern would have helped her, but not now, it simply startled her.

"Oh! Yes, I am, I am fine, Neville, I am just… worried, you know, hum... I have started these new potion lessons with professor Snape and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed" She couldn't look him in the eye, he was soon to be a guinea pig.

"You are having extra lessons with Snape? No question you are feeling bad, you should really take it easy, Hermione, you are already pretty good at potions, I don't think you need any extra lessons." Neville was just so good, there he was, trying to calm her down and comfort her.

"Thank you, Neville, but I have been given the chance, and I think I should take it… I just have been a bit stressed out, you know?"

"I know, this is our seventh year, it is a lot of pressure, but I know you will be the best witch in our generation." He smiled at her, and she felt like if she were to tell him, he would understand, he would have no problem to help her, so maybe, after all of this, she could simply tell him why everything happened that way, which made her feel better somehow.

They shared a nice moment for a few seconds, before feeling the door open in a slam, which had not happened during the whole year, was he putting up an act? Whatever it was, it was effective in the students, who jumped in their seats and turned to see their professor stride through the room and face them from his desk.

"Because of the extension of time it takes to prepare this month project, veritaserum, we will take a break from it for a week at least. Instead, today we will be helping the hospital wing of Hogwarts by preparing a standard healing potion, I believe this task to have already been seen and prepared so many times along the years that you will be in no special need of instructions, but supervision. You may begin."

The students started to move around the room, looking for the ingredients to prepare it. So did Hermione, who stood up, not having a real clear destination and looking to the others as in an attempt to focus in only one, when she felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her to the chair again.

"I think I can handle this, Hermione, I've prepared this so many times I think I can do it on my own, you can rest."

"Thank you, Neville, but I don't think professor Snape would appreciate me sitting and doing nothing."

"You won't be doing nothing, you can prepare the ingredients I bring, while you stay sitting, weren't you feeling sick?"

"… Yes, thank you, I will wait for the ingredients here, then." Neville smiled and turned around, Hermione followed him with the eyes, till she felt a voice right behind her.

"Not doing much today, Miss Granger?" She jumped in her place, and turned to see Snape just a few inches from her face.

"Sorry, sir, I have not been hum… feeling very well this morning, and Neville volunteered to look for the ingredients, but once he is back, I will start."

The man leaned down a bit more, concern in his face "… not feeling well?"

"I am a bit nervous for this… potion, but I am alright in every other way, I just need to end this and I will start feeling much better." The potions master incorporated once more.

"I understand, as a Gryffindor, you may feel uncomfortable with this task… that is why I suggest finishing it soon." He placed his eyes in a piece of mandrake left by himself on the table.

"I… I will, sir." He nodded and left her, she reached for the mandrake and hid it in the sleeves of her robe. Right a few seconds later Neville was back.

The cauldron had already started boiling, Neville had just stood up to look for some dittany, this was the moment, this way only her and maybe Ron a few steps away would get hurt. She held the mandrake over the cauldron, counted till three… and dropped it. She prepared for the explosion, holding her breath, as she saw the color of the potion change abruptly from crystal clear to bright orange, she closed her eyes and then it happened. The explosion was so strong she felt her body hit the cupboard behind her, a buzz permanent in her ears and smoke in her lungs. She started to cough as she tried to see if Ron was ok, who was currently coughing on the floor.

"…ut! Everybody out! Except you, Longbottom! Stay right where you are!" She saw Snape hurrying to her side, using some kind of spell to clean the cauldron and the air. He lifted Ron by his arm and pointed at the door, the boy turned around to see her before being pushed away by the man. She couldn't hear much of what was happening, the buzz still present, Neville placed himself next to her while mumbling something she couldn't understand and using his wand in her arm, which seemed to be badly burnt, though the adrenaline was stopping the pain.

He felt her body being lifted and placed on the desk, Snape was inspecting her, specifically her burnt arm, looking much better thanks to Neville, he used his wand in her nose and a few seconds later the sound was back.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"You are not helping, go get me the small green bottle in the first drawer of my desk." Neville left running, and as he did she could see how the look in the man's eyes softened in her face. "You used way more than necessary, you could've seriously injured yourself, this is not what I expected, this is… I…" For an instant, the girl thought he was going to whine, she had only hear him use this tone once, talking to the Dark Lord before being betrayed, already aware he was going to die. So she raised her right hand and placed it in his face.

"I'm sorry."

"Hush, it is better you remain silent." Looking at her hand, and then at Neville who was returning, the man pushed it away. He took the small bottle from Neville and offered it to Hermione's lips. "Drink, it will make the pain go away, if you don't feel it now, you will do it very soon."

She opened her mouth and drank its content, it was sour and bitter, and it made everything look like melting,

"I feel funny."

"It is because of the painkiller, you will be back to normal in about half an hour." He remained there, looking at Hermione for what looked like forever for Neville, who was squirming in his place.

"Hum… sir?"

"Detention, both of you, the moment your classes are over, you will come to this very room and clean this bloody mess. No wands allowed, give them to me, now." Neville was quick to move and give his wand away, but it took much longer to Hermione, who was clumsily looking for her wand in her robes. Finally, she found it and gave it to the man, who took it looking deep in her eyes.

"I will return them the moment you are finished with this room, Longbottom, escort Granger to the hospital wing or the next class, depending on how she feels for the moment."

"It's ok, I think I am feeling better now." She jumped from the table, and was caught by Neville, who held her by her waist, trembling and moving his hand awkwardly up and down, as if not sure where to exactly touch without consent.

"I amh... can I?" His face turning slightly red. Hermione smiled, he was such a good boy, she felt suddenly thankful that he was the one to go through the potions effects.

"Please, do." They both walked out of the room, with Neville supporting most of her weight as she still felt the floor melting under her feet.

It was already time, she was feeling much better, whatever Snape gave her was definitely good, because if it wasn't because of the bandage on her left arm, she would not even remember the morning incident.

She was waiting in the potions classroom door for Neville to appear, their classes had been over about half an hour ago, and most students were returning to their common rooms or visiting the Great Hall. She saw him coming from the corner of her eye and greeted him.

"Hi, Hermione, how are you feeling? How is your arm?"

"Oh this? I am feeling great, don't worry. I am actually feeling better than before the class, I think the explosion fixed me."

"… You serious?" the boy seemed confused and uneasy at the same time.

"Yes, it is true, now… shall we go in? I think Professor Snape is waiting for us."

The boy inhaled deeply, he was definitely nervous "… I thought this was over, you know? It is my seventh year and here I am, still scared of him."

"He is not so bad, Neville, he is just angry because we destroyed his classroom, just breath, and let me do the talking if necessary, it will be over soon."

"Ok, let's do this." Hermione opened the door, but there was nobody inside. Just the empty classroom, as ruined as in the morning, the only difference was a couple of buckets and cleaning kits over the final table. "It seems we will be alone, he must be busy."

"Sweet Lord, thanks. I think I could not clean this with him staring at me and making sharp comments on how useless I am."

"He would not do such a thing… he is a good man, Neville, especially since he came back, we made a total disaster, he could've been much more strict, like telling on us with Professor McGonagall or taking half of Gryffindor points."

"I still don't feel comfortable in here." They both moved to the table and inspected all the objects, together with the cupboard and fallen ingredients on the floor.

"I am sorry for this, Neville, I… don't know what went wrong."

"Don't worry, Hermione, actually… I think it was me, I must have done something wrong, maybe too much or not enough, I really don't know, I feel so bad we are in this because of-"

"It is not your fault, Neville, I was with the potion when this happened."

"Exactly! You were hurt because of me, I was preparing the potion and-"

"I have something for you." Hermione held him a bottle of juice and placed cookies and sandwiches on the table, next to one of the buckets. "We are most likely going to stay here for a while, so I thought in bringing some food, you know… to take some breaks."

"You always think in everything. "

"Here, have some." She offered him the cookies, he took one and took it to his mouth, she gulped when he finished and let the plate back on the table, "I already had some, so please, eat all of them."

"I will, thank you, Hermione… really."

They both looked at each other, before going for the buckets and starting to clean. They chit chatted for a while, commenting on how the other classes were, how Ron was doing after the explosion, and the rumors spreading. With the time running, Hermione started to get nervous; she knew that the time was coming, they were almost done with the floor and the cupboard, leaving only the table and cauldron to be fixed. What if these cookies or juice were clean, what if nothing happened? Or even worse, what if they did work and it got out of her hands, she didn't have her wand with her, she wasn't sure how to protect herself without it, why would Snape take her wand knowing what was going to happen?

"Neville, could you hand me the sponge, please?" A few minutes passed and there was no answer, she turned around to see Neville, who was frozen looking at the floor in a much uncomfortable position. "Neville…?" She fixed her eyes on his, lost, as if he was in some other place, but not there, his hands trembling. She knew it was happening, and wondered if she held the same expression under its effects. Doubting if to stand up or get closer, she tried to remember any other instruction from Snape, what was she supposed to do? Suddenly, Neville turned her way and moved on his hands and knees, causing Hermione to move backwards.

"Neville, listen, can you listen to me?" The boy nodded, but didn't stop. "Stop, I know you can do it, I know you can stop." She continued to move backwards, till she felt her back hit the stone, she had gotten to the wall, there was no more space to crawl away. "Oh dear…" Neville reached her and was right on top of her, she thought in kicking him, but she restrained herself, it was not his fault.

She could feel her heart pounding, and Neville slowly moving closer, his hands went to her face and she pressed her lips closed, in an attempt to stop a kiss if he tried it. But it didn't happen, she just felt his forehead against her own and his eyes piercing hers.

"Neville…? What are you…?" She felt a kiss in her forehead, and then they continued along her face, but they didn't get near her lips, just surrounded her, it tickled when they got to her ears. His hands went from her face to her waist and pushed her over him, reversing the papers, with her sitting on top of him. "Neville, I don't want to hurt you, please don't make me hurt you." But nothing happened, his hands traveled up and down her back, he stopped right in her waist and went back to her head, caressing her hair in all the way down, just to meet the end of her sweater and up her head again. His other hand carefully placed on her cheek, preventing her from moving away, she could feel his heart beating, but nothing as hers, his beating was slow and comforting. She started to relax, was this what Snape expected to happen? Did he know that Neville was going to behave in such a way? Maybe that is why he took her wand, it was not really necessary.

She could not continue to make any more questions, because a strong slam sound filled the room, she immediately stood up, leaving a baffled Neville sitting on the floor, staring at her with his open hands.

It didn't take long for Snape to kick his way to them, literally kicking benches and tables. He stared at Hermione and then at Neville, just to quickly point his wand at him, causing the boy to jump and make a ball on the ground, holding his legs, scared to tears.

"He didn't do anything, professor! I swear, he just-"

"Shut. Your. Mouth. Look what you did to my classroom you little… I knew I should not have let you stay in my class, you cannot even prepare a healing potion for your life… Stand up." The young wizard was quick to obey, embracing himself in the corner.

"Sir… don't you think you are going to far? We already cleaned the place, and he is still under the-"

"One more word, Granger, and you will be the one on the floor." He was acting, right? This could not be happening for real. Where was the nice man that made her breakfast in the morning?

"Go on your knees, Longbottom." The boy went to his knees, and Hermione could swear he was already crying. She didn't know what he was supposed to do on his knees, but something was clear to her eyes, it was humiliating and she couldn't take it any longer.

"Stop this, let him go, it is not his fault and you know it, I… I will do it." The girl positioned herself on her knees, next to Neville and wiped his cheeks. "Stand up, Neville, go to the common room."

"You, stupid witch." The potion master pointed his wand in her direction, causing an immediate effect on Neville, who didn't take long to throw himself against the man, screaming and biting. Snape's wand fell on the ground, while trying to take the boy off of him.

Has she gone nuts? Maybe the explosion knocked her down and she was currently in a comma. There she was, on her knees, looking at Severus Snape, potions master, and Neville Longbottom, hero of war, fight on the floor. She wasn't sure what to do or who to help.

"I would appreciate you handed me my wand, Miss Granger." Oh, now she was back to being Miss Granger instead of just a stupid witch. "I do not intend to bring myself to the spotlight by punching a student in the face, though Longbottom has already done more than that." Neville was biting the man's right arm as he tried to reach for his wand. "Trust."

With that final word, Hermione took his wand from the floor, but instead of handing it to him, she used it.

" _Desmaius_!" Neville's body fell on Snape's, who removed him from himself by slowly standing, Hermione was amazed to see how a man could gracefully move and reincorporate himself after such a scene. But, just in case, she kept the wand with her. "May I have a bloody explanation here? What was all that about? I seriously thought…"

"It is called acting, Miss Granger, I had thought that fighting against the Dark Lord had taught you what that was."

"But you just- Why? Was all of this really necessary? How do I know?"

"If proof is what you seek for, I will hand you my planning for this… it is in my right pocket, I will take it, together with your wand and give both to you, so I would be grateful if you don't point at me with my own wand."

"I will lower the wand once I have seen that planning of you, sir." There was venom in her last words, she didn't mean to be disrespectful, but everything went nuts. The man gave a sardonic smile and took a parchment from the insides of his robes, giving it to Hermione to read, on it there were details of probable behavior in case of different scenarios: Hunger, sleep deprivation, jealousy, fear, and others. "… You were expecting Neville to cry and attack you?"

"I was expecting him to flee, not to make a ball on the floor… and though I knew he was going to stand and protect you, I didn't consider him biting my fingers."

"… What is all of this? I thought-"

"We were wrong all along; this potion was never intended, neither to cause love, nor to follow instructions. It was made to somehow disconnect your brain from your body, a complete loss of self control; under its effects you are not much evolved than a four legged mammal. You are hungry, you eat, you are sleepy, you sleep, and so on. That. Is. it."

"… But that cannot be, I mean… You are right, I did make a lot of those things, I ate the food on the table, I even smacked you for approaching, I also fell asleep on you, when I was really tired, but what about last night? And your… your hand?"

"I was confused at the beginning, but I think it is related to what Mr. Longbottom showed just now… compassion and guilt, you smacked my hand, later you apologized in a much unique way. He believed to have burnt your arm; he acted as your mother."

"You were watching us?"

"Of course I was, all of these have been hypothesis, things could have gone different, so I was ready to enter the room in case."

"Then why didn't you get in the room earlier? I really thought he was going to-"

"I also thought he was going to, but he didn't, and as he didn't, I wanted to see why... I didn't tell you anything, because neither I was sure of what was going to happen, in this way you could prepare to go along with anything, instead of sticking to a plan that could fail and freaking out for it."

She wanted to reply, she even opened her mouth to do it, but the man was right, she fell for his performance, and it ended up going well, if she had known about it earlier, it may have been different.

"… What is going to happen to him now?"

"Understand, Miss Granger, that this is like it or not, a secret between us two, he cannot remember what happened here, or there will be a lot of questions. Besides… you don't want him to feel the same confusion as you, am I correct?"

"… No, I think Neville would be much better without any new reason to worry about. Are you going to take his memories?"

"I will, don't worry, he will believe he has spent his evening cleaning with you, you just go along with that story. Now, may I have my wand back?"

"May I have mine?"

The potions master looked in his robes for both wands, and handed them to Hermione, getting his in return. The girl nodded, looking at Neville peacefully resting on the floor, she was determined to make things up for him later, maybe help him with all of his projects. He saw as the man raised his wand, mumbling a spell under his breath, a silver threat left Neville's head forehead and went to a small flask in Snape's hand, which he later saved in his pocket. The man lifted Neville and sat him on the closest bench. Finally, Both of them fixed the room, till it was as clean and tidy as ever.

"Then, I will be leaving, we have a meeting with McGonagall about that nonsense contest… see you tomorrow at 7 pm, for our… special potions lesson."

"I think we will have a lot to discuss."

"Bring your doubts in a piece of parchment if necessary." The man was half his way to the door, when the girl called his way.

"Professor"

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"There is one thing I cannot comprehend yet. The first one, the hum… the kiss, I was not… I don't see any reason to-"

The man stopped and stared at her face, before smirking "I believe you must be familiar with the need for reproduction." With that said he left. Leaving a baffled Hermione to fall sitting on the bench next Neville, her jaw still open, she must have heard wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 11:**

She had waited for Neville to wake up, and accomplished to make him believe he had been awake all the time, she handed him his wand by saying "Snape came when you were in the restroom, don't you remember?" and then they both walked back to their common room. They had parted ways, and excusing herself with her friends, assuring them she was too tired because of all the cleaning, she rushed to her room, a lot to think about.

Did the man just imply she held a sexual interest in him? A need for reproduction as he said. Wasn't that stepping over the line for a teacher? Everything else made sense, except for that. She didn't consider herself particularly frigid, but she was no expert in the topic either, the closest she had being to starting her sexual life was with Ron a few months ago, but she felt like things were rushing, ending up the relationship before anything too serious happened.

She shifted in the bed, Snape wasn't the only one she kissed, there was Harry too. How did she feel about Harry? Was it really just something physical? She considered eating the food and asking Ginny to keep her company in her room, just to prove she was more than just an animal in heat. She felt so ashamed, how was she supposed to look him in the eye the next day? Because of his comment she had started to see him as a man, and not just a professor. Her mind was full of memories of his fingers against her face, his scent of herbs and his smooth and silky voice. She went to sleep, having dreams she was never to comment with anyone, because they were just beyond embarrassing.

It was another morning in the Great Hall, more lively than usual, mainly because of a recently exploded tickles bomb, which still affected some students near the Huflepuff table. Hermione avoided it and sat next to Ginny, reaching for an apple, which she had discovered to be the easiest edible to pretend to eat.

"Hey, Hermione, why didn't you tell us about Snape?" Ron's words startled her, causing her to choke with a piece of apple and accidentally eat it. Coughing to try to get it out, she surrendered and looked back at Ron.

"I'm sorry, what? What about Sn- Professor Snape?" She tried to keep calm, while looking at Ginny with murdering eyes.

"About your special potion lessons or something like that."

"Neville told us last night, we asked him if something happened because you were looking so tired. He said you were taking special potion lessons with Snape." Harry said.

"Oh, that…" Hermione looked back at Ginny who was looking rather offended. "I am sorry, guys, he offered the lessons to me about a week ago, I wasn't sure if to accept so I didn't want to tell you and then back off… but I guess it is official now."

"Congratulations, Hermione, I cannot think of anybody else more appropriate to spend their evenings learning about potions." Ginny's tone went unnoticed for the boys, but not to Hermione, who was still in no mood for insinuations, so she just pretended to smile as much as she could.

"Thank you, Ginny, I am really thankful for this opportunity to improve my academic experience."

"And what an experi- Ouch!" Her left arm got slapped by Hermione, who simply couldn't stand the tone of her words.

"What do you do in those lessons?" Harry asked while eating a sandwich, more as a theme for conversation than really intrigued by it.

"Yes, Hermione, tell us what you do in those lessons." Ginny wasn't stopping; Hermione wondered how long they could continue with this dynamic with the boys not noticing anything.

"Well, we… I, I assist him with the preparation of complicated potions."

"What potions have you prepared?"

"All of them." Ginny was getting her nervous and her brain was not working in the best way possible, besides, half of it was still worrying over the piece of apple she ate, would that be enough to make her go wild?

"All of them? What do you mean all of them?"

"All of the… potions he had in the list for the first week, they were potions from first year so they were pretty easy to prepare, you know, to remember the basics."

"Didn't you just say you assisted him with difficult potions?"

"Guys, guys, give her some space, she's being taking extra lessons, together with the other extra three classes that you don't have AND an explosion yesterday… how is your arm, Mione?" Ginny saved her; Hermione guessed it was an apology for the previous teasing.

"Well, now that you mention it, it still hurts, so I think I should go to the hospital wing. Could you please tell Professor McGonagall?" She stood up while the boys were still wishing her to recover soon. Of course, she never intended to really go to the hospital wing, she just wanted to get to her room and rest till the apple made effect or till she was sure there was no danger of acting weird in front of anyone.

The classes were about to begin, so she rushed, however, something was weird, she could've sworn she heard a giggle behind her. She turned around, but no one was there, so she just shook her head and continued walking. When she got to her common room, she was about to went upstairs, when she noticed purple painting on the floor, it was most likely because of a prank, turning around to see no one was to be blamed, the prefect decided to simply clean it herself. A few seconds later the Fat Lady painting was open and two young Gryffindors entered the room. Interesting thing was the moment they saw her using her wand to clean the mess; both boys changed their expressions and tried to act normal.

"Classes are about to begin, may I know what you two are doing here?"

"We were… we just forgot something, our books, yes, we forgot our books."

"What year are you in?"

"Third year, ma'am."

"Third year is currently learning about snargaluffs in herbology, which means you are in no need for any book."

"We didn't know that."

"… Well, now you know, go before I take points from our house because of intentional lateness." The boys looked at each other and then reluctantly left by the Fat Lady Portrait. Hermione wasn't stupid, they were up to something, could it be related to the joke on her? She was determined to interrogate them later, when the fear for the potion was gone.

The young witch went upstairs and closed the door, it had previously taken about an hour to make effect, but she was starting to slowly feel numb, she considered it to be her imagination, so she sat in the edge of her bed, trying to clear her thoughts. It was impossible; the one thing she could think of was the potions master voice. Her legs slowly melted till she was sitting on the floor.

"This cannot be happening to you, Hermione, focus in some other thing, you should be studying transfigurations, remember the topic from last class… we were remembering the incarcerous spell." Her thoughts were quick to picture Snape using the spell on her, with completely not academic reasons. "Why did he have to say such a thing?" Everything was just fine till his comment on her sexual needs related to him; that together with his smirk and smooth voice was enough to drive her crazy, apparently.

She spent the next three quarters of hours trying to keep the potions master out of her thoughts. After that time, she suddenly found it easier to focus, with the numb feeling in her fingers leaving her body. "It must have been because of the potion… he is a professor, Hermione, from now on, you will only see him as that." The girl stood up and went downstairs to her following classes.

The rest of the day went normal, eating alone with Ginny before visiting Snape, she told her about the two boys that were following her earlier, who, by the way, were obviously avoiding her at all cost.

"That is serious, Hermione, those boys must have put something in your food, and as you usually go to classes they saw an opportunity when they saw you going to the common room."

"I know, but they have been avoiding me all day, besides… I am not exactly sure what to tell them, I have no proof they actually did anything."

"But they were following you and giggling, weren't they? I would punch them in the face for much less than that."

"That is clearly not enough, Ginny. What am I supposed to say? Hey you two, stop poisoning my food?"

"Well… yes, for starters, then you could mention how messed up they are for doing it, and of course, perverted, because they were counting with you being alone, who knows what were they planning."

"Ginny, please, I feel like their mother here."

"I bet Snape doesn't feel like your father… maybe your daddy." Ginny giggled.

"Oh for Merlin! You didn't… Ginny, seriously, stop with that, it is not funny."

"Oh, of course it is funny… because it is true." She giggled again and then stopped at seeing Hermione's frowning expression. "I'm sorry, Mione, but this is the closest to a girl chat about boys we have ever had, we didn't even talk much about Ron when you were his girlfriend."

"Because you are his sister, it would have been kind of weird, besides, he is not a boy, he is a man… and a professor, I remember you."

"Well… I guess you are right, Snape is not my brother."

"That's it, I'm leaving." Hermione took her books from the table and stood up, quickly getting them inside her backpack.

"Are you going to your extra potion lessons?" The smile in Ginny's face was quite a good contrast for Hermione's nagged expression. The brunette didn't even care to answer, she simply took her bag and left.

Hermione was actually a bit thankful to Ginny for mocking her, her frustration and anger was keeping any weird thoughts away, even standing in front of his door, she simply knocked, thinking in how badly she was not interested in him. The door opened, as she was so focused in Ginny's words, she continued to knock, actually knocking Snape's chest.

"…I wonder what I have done to deserve this greeting."

"I'm sorry, sir! I didn't think you would open the door so quickly!"

"I was actually looking for a book next to the door." The man lifted his left arm, showing a small book. "If you are done knocking the door or me, you may come in." He turned around and marched to his desk, sitting behind it and leaving the book on it, but focusing his eyes on the young witch, who was still standing in the door. This didn't go unnoticed to the potions master, who looked at her with narrowed eyes and his fingers intertwined on the desk.

"I can assure there is no trap waiting to catch you, Miss Granger." After this the girl rushed to the desk, leaving her bag on the floor.

"I'm sorry, sir, it has been quite a long day."

"You need to stop apologizing for everything; that was actually the first you did when I came back."

She was about to excuse herself once more; suddenly realizing this, she simply answered "Welcome back, sir."

The man remained silent, unsure of what to answer, struggling with multiple options: what he would've said before the war, what he would've said before getting to know her, and finally what he wanted to say now. That was the moment he realized things were getting slowly out his hands, it had been a long time without things being this difficult; aware that as a teacher there was a clear line to draw, he spoke "We should focus." He sat back on his chair. "As you mentioned before, I attended a meeting yesterday to address this pranking contest among students."

"Gryffindors mostly, I apologize for the faults of my house, as a prefect I have failed to control them."

"Not necessary, Miss Granger, it used to be a Gryffindor problem, but it has quite extended, I am to apologize for Slytherins at this very moment, students of all houses seem to have gone insane, Flitwick and Trelawney being proof of it."

"What happened to them?" The girl placed her hands on the desk, worried for both teachers, even if she never got to like Trelawney, that didn't mean she deserved any harm.

"Flitwick fell victim of some fashion makeover, his hair turned blue in a much fancy Mohawk. Meanwhile, Trelawney was only able to express herself buzzing like a bee. I assume that for this time the problem must have already been fixed. Sad if you ask me, that was quite a unique staff meeting. I could only imagine Dumbledore commenting on how good Flitwick's new look was and asking for a round of applauses instead of searching for a solution." The girl could also picture that, Dumbledore was without a doubt a very wise, but peculiar headmaster.

"What about Professor McGonagall? What did she do?"

"Though I am positive McGonagall's amused face was as visible as mine, she did not show nearly as much compassion. Starting next week, there will be implemented new measures against these pranksters."

"New measures? Like what?"

"Well, depending on the magnitude of the joke and the objective of it, the consequences could go from detention to suspension, and this one is new: expulsion. As sure as I am that coloring anyone's hair is not going to cause more than one month detention, I am almost certain that poisoning another student's food must be at least worth a month suspension."

"How about kissing a professor?" The man let go a sigh to the question.

"You are the victim of that joke, Miss Granger, I am certain that McGonagall will not punish you for that, as neither did I." The girl moved on the chair, the man's words let a question running through her mind.

"What if a student kissed you just because? Not because of any potion, would you give her… or him detention? Suspension?" The girl gulped "Expulsion? Just hypothetical, of course." The man let the silence settle in the room, what kind of question was that? After a long wait, in which Hermione repented for even being there, the man answered.

"I hardly consider that to be a real issue."As the girl opened her mouth to insist, the man added "But let's pretend that in a highly impossible scenario this happen, I guess I would take the student to the hospital wing for a psychological analysis, something wrong in her or his mind, and after that, I think a year detention would teach others what. not. to. do ."

"Would that detention be attended with Mister Filch, alone in the potions classroom or… here, with you?"

The potions master leaned on the desk, his elbows in the wood. "This conversation is clearly leading nowhere; mind if we move on?"

"Of course, sir, please continue." She moved on the chair once again, feeling her cheeks slightly pinker than usual. The man leaned back, and opened the drawer to his right; he took a flask from it and placed it in front of the girl, without taking his eyes off of her.

"Any idea what these are?" her eyes inspected its content; it was full of small smooth pebbles, all of them with a white milky color.

"I think I've never seen them before."

"I'd like to say I am disappointed, but it is actually not a surprise."He paused for a moment, nodding to the desk. "Before explaining any further, I'd like to ask you… if you were to drink this potion that troubles you so much, and if it was unavoidable to make effect in the middle of the Great Hall, let's say… during breakfast or the Halloween fest, what would be the last thing you would like to do under any circumstance?"

Hermione felt suddenly awkward, while she thought in a variety of scenarios that could happen, she had a clear idea, but she was not sure how to properly express it to its complete extension, "I… I would really like to avoid kissing anyone; I don't think I could handle the shame, all the stares, and the questions… if it was Ron, it would be really awkward, and If it was Harry, it would be a real scandal, he wouldn't fall for the same explanation again, I'd rather punch someone, kick my juice, sleep in the middle of the table, dance in Professor Vector's soup, anything would be better than kissing anyone… or worse." The man raised an eyebrow "You know what I mean." He nodded and then looked at the small bottle.

"I had the feeling you were to say that… these are supposed to lower the libido. I suggest you take one a day in the morning, more than that could be dangerous for your health."

The girl looked at the bottle, to the man, to the drawer which he took them from, the bottle again, and even when she meant to finally look to his eyes, she stopped herself feeling the red increasing in her cheeks, getting even to her ears, causing her to stare at the wood of his desk.

"Don't do that, girl, don't you dare give me that judgmental look. I do not drink, have or ingest every potion or substance in this place. "His voice was clearly disappointed and upset.

"I didn't mean that, sir. It is just… I can't remember this potion, did I forget it? Or we have not learnt about it yet?"

"No, I have not taught you about these, neither will I, since I hold no intention to discuss the matter ever again with McGonagall, Dumbledore having craved his ideas into her long ago. Something about it being dangerous for your proper development into healthy adults and the importance of it being addressed by the family and not us… as if I were asking to lecture you on sexual positions or something, being absolutely nobody in the staff willing or qualified to do such a thing. No, it is not important how simple its preparation is, or how I think they would be perfect for forth year students, no. I simply provide Poppy with them, as the students seem to go to her for such matter."

The girl listened to him with much attention, understanding him; she has felt it so many times, the frustration of giving pieces of advice, of knowing better, but being ignored. "I understand, sir. I actually think it would be a good idea, it would have made puberty much easier and Merlin knows I could've used it for the past weeks." There was silence, and when the girl started to feel it unnerving she spoke "Hum, professor! There is something more, I-I… you don't want me to apologize anymore, but there is this thing you said the last time, that I'm having problems to ignore…"

"I'd appreciate if you could be a bit more specific."

"Yesterday, before you left the classroom, you said something about hum…" She was clearly struggling in her chair, her face getting redder with every word. Her uncomfortable movements started to unnerve the man as well.

"Speak, girl."

"It is not proper of me to show such an inappropriate behavior, especially with a professor. I'd like to clarify that I never intended to show that hum… need, as you s-"

"Save your excuses, Miss Granger, I never asked for them. I am quite aware of the situation and myself "He stopped to make up his mind, he was not prepared for this conversation, and he would rather be doing anything else but being the responsible adult dealing with it." I just happened to get in the room in the perfectly wrong time, I don't know who you were thinking of when the potion made effect with me or Potter and neither I want to know. I don't blame you for it, so your excuses or apologies are not necessary or welcomed." The girl stopped to think for a minute… She hadn't considered that, was she thinking in someone or something in particular when it happened?

"Thank you, sir, for understanding." He nodded and then continued.

"By any means, I trust you will benefit by these new measures, since I believe the fear for expulsion will refrain most of the attacks to you. However, I must warn you, I don't consider them to be nearly over, since whoever is doing this to you is not from third year, and has gotten too far to quit now."

"What do you mean? You told me about the pranking contest among third year students, I thought-"

"It used to be among third years, as I explained, it has extended to half of the student body."

"Then… how do you know it is not someone from third year?"

"Potions always have a clear purpose, to stay awake, to calm down the nerves, heck if there is even one to empty your stomach so you can continue eating, but this potion… it has no use but to embarrass someone to death, which leads me to think this is an entire new composition." Hermione looked at him, her mouth slightly open with much interest. "You saw it yourself, Miss Granger, the dangers of adding the wrong amount of ingredients… potions are not easy to prepare, leave aside create, this is definitely not a student from third year, nor fourth, they must be most surely from sixth or seventh year, someone particularly advanced."

"But… why? Why me? Are you trying to tell me I am being used as a guinea pig? I don't know anyone from seventh year who would like to… not even in Slytherin, not even Draco, I cannot think of anyone." She started to panic, feeling her breath stuck in her chest. The man just smiled softly.

"Feeling humble today, Miss Granger? I must admit that if I were to select someone from the complete student body to test this specific potion I would also pick you. Think about it, do you know anyone else famous for their self control and good behavior? If I were to test a potion with the unique purpose of driving someone wild… wouldn't you be the ultimate proof of its efficiency?" Her mouth fell open in disbelief; did her professor just say he would experiment on her?

"But I have not done anything to deserve this, I have always- I mean, I have not- This is-"

"Exactly, you are well known for always being politically correct, and kind to others, you have always done what you have been supposed to do, you have not done anything wrong… you were the perfect objective, and as you have not shown yourself under its effect, whoever is doing this must think you are still controlling the potion's effect, so they will continue to give it to you, stronger every time."

"What do you mean stronger? What else could they be expecting?"

"Think about this; the first time you were under its effect was for about ten minutes, and then you managed to regain control, last time I knocked you unconscious, afraid of what you could do if I allowed you to go any further… Now, think in Longbottom, I bet he didn't have half of the doses meant for you, and there I was hiding my hand during the staff meeting because I had no explanation for the bleeding."

Hermione was extremely confused, and she started to feel more overwhelmed with every explanation. She had spent all of her school days planning, scheduling, concealing, and she had expected to relax after the war, at least a bit, to let go of at least a small part of her responsibilities, but here she was, being pushed to her limits.

"I… I don't understand." She felt all her stress building up in her throat. "Is this just going to get worse? I don't know-"She muted, focusing all her strength in her knuckles, firmly pressed against her knees. The man was right, she had a control issue. She always had a plan; she always knew a spell, charm, potion or way for every situation, but not for this one. She did not know what to do, what to say, how to regain control, if control was the problem to begin with. She was taken out of her thoughts by a glass carefully placed in front of her.

"It is just water; I think you have already had enough potions or elixirs for a lifetime." The girl took the glass with a shaking hand and drank its content, then she displayed it on the desk, only to focus her eyes on her knees once more. The man remained in his place behind her, unsure of what to do as well. "I honestly believe you should look for emotional support from someone more qualified, perhaps Minerva, she is well natured, or Poppy, she is trained for it." The girl was quick to shake her head.

"Could I ask you for a favor? It would be really helpful right now."

"Anything." The man had no idea what to do, so he was grateful for any instruction or guide, one that didn't involve kicking her and her problems out his office.

"Could you give me a hug?"

The potions master stood still, he was tempted to answer with the bitter expression he would use for any other student, but he found himself unable to do it. She didn't deserve it, she was scared and overwhelmed, and this time, it was all because of her good nature, this must be the opposite of karma. Spite of this, he could not access to her request either, his mind was quick to remember a book read a long time ago, about a man who looked for the company of vulnerable women, having as only goal to get them to bed, with the girls growing attached to a man who never meant to love them back, most of the cases started with a comforting hug. "I do not consider that to be a good idea."

"Please, I won't do anything weird, I am not a creep." Though the girl's head was still hidden under her bushy hair, the man could still notice her broken voice between soft sobs. He kneeled next to her, unsure of how to proceed, he had never hugged a student before, and though the girl herself requested it, he found it hard to perform while still trying to draw the line as a teacher, especially with her feeling so small between his arms.

She noticed the man's movements, followed by his arms around her waist; she twisted the upper part of her body to hide her face in the space between his shoulder and neck, being careful not to harm him where his wound should be. She immediately noticed the man's discomfort, as he tensed with her touch, so she hesitated to embrace him and ended up with her hands clawed to his coat, not directly in touch.

"You are not a creep, never think of you like that again."

"You say that, but here I am, acting as a crybaby in front of my potions master, forcing him to hug me out of pity."

"I do not pity you, Hermione, neither I am forced to do this." The man felt a chuckle coming from the girl, her breath in his neck.

"Do you realize, sir, you just called me by my given name?"

"Bite me, Granger." Now she giggled, causing jolts, not only in her, but him. Did he really just say that to a student? Everything felt surreal for the man, who was starting to feel his arms numb because of the lack of movement. He had decided to not move an inch, unsure of were exactly to touch her, what would make her feel uncomfortable.

"I dare you to say that to Neville." Both of them remained like that for some minutes. Hermione felt the awkwardness of the whole situation dissolve in giggles and soft smiles. Meanwhile, Snape relaxed his body, his insecurities gone together with her delicate movements. Till finally the girl moved apart, looking for his eyes. "Thank you, sir, I am feeling much better know."

He didn't answer, he just stood up and stepped back, allowing her to do so as well. "This can not last forever, Miss Granger, you are to finish your studies in a few months. This cannot follow you outside Hogwarts." She knew he was trying to comfort her, but his words had quite the opposite effect.

"You are right, sir. Though, I really will miss Hogwarts."

"You will not miss Hogwarts, it is nothing but an old castle. You will miss your classmates and the constant recognition for your work, both will leave Hogwarts to follow you, as parasites some of them if I may add." The brunette smiled softly.

"Some of them won't." she reached for the bottle previously offered to her, and kept it in her hand. "Professor McGonagall will stay here at Hogwarts, together with my common room and my first adventure. Professor Flitwick will stay here, with the Great Hall, Hagrid and Fang… Hogwarts is my home, sir, not my house, and when you leave home, there are things that simply cannot follow you… Like you." There was silence again, as the man questioned his sanity, then she just chuckled looking to the desk "I am acting weird again, aren't I? Saying silly things… I should probably get going, I was just wondering, do you think that perhaps you could teach me about these? I don't even know their name." She held the small bottle in front of the man, with all the milky pebbles inside.

"That could be arranged, maybe tomorrow evening. I believe it would be positive to teach you about them, not because of their use only, but because it is what we are supposed to be doing."

"It will be nice to not lie to my friends for once in a while."

"Are you really going to tell your 'friends' you are learning how to prepare those?"

"I hardly think they would ask that much info, but if they do, I will tell them I asked you for it."

"… I trust you will avoid the topic." She smiled and walked to the door, when her hand touched it she stopped, and hesitated for a few seconds, till the girl turned around, to call for the man a final time nervously.

"Professor, there is one last thing I… I would feel bad if I don't say it now, I think you deserve to know."

"I'm listening."

"I did not know it had an influence on it, so I didn't give it much of a thought earlier, but… I believe-" she stopped, gathering her bravery, proper of her house "I believe the day I kissed you, and the night I kissed Harry- I think both times I was thinking of… you." She fixed her eyes on him for as long as she could, suddenly fearing the man could actually say something back, she bent as a sign of departure "Good night, sir." And with that she was gone, leaving the man as confused as she was the evening before.

He was sure that if he were not Severus Snape, the most despised old geezer, and she were not Hermione Granger, the most advanced witch of her age, that would definitely sound as a confession.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Warning:** The fic is M-rated mainly because of this chapter.

 **Chapter 12:**

The girl rushed to the common room, right after closing Snape's door she started to have second thoughts. What was all that supposed to mean? She most surely freaked the man out. Once she went through the Fat Lady Portrait, her eyes looked for the red head, she needed to talk to someone, and she knew that Ginny was the one option, not just because she was the only who knew about the real nature of their meetings, but because she assumed that Ginny would not be upset by the topic.

She found the red head having some kind of argument about quidditch with Ron, with Harry being forced as a referee. What was exactly the issue? She couldn't care less, simply taking the girl by her wrist and dragging her out the conversation.

"Hi, Ginny, do you have a minute?"

"I was actually telling Ron how quidditch is played, Mione, if you could wait me a-"

"I cannot." She was quite aware she was calling some undesired attention.

"Oh, ok, then Harry, take my position, explain him why he is so wrong and I am so right."

"Can't we just wait for you to come back? Isn't this one of those girl chats you have sometimes?" The boy seemed uncomfortable with the idea.

"… No." Ginny followed the brunette till her quarters; Hermione was quick to close the door behind her and even took her time to use a silencing charm. "What is wrong, Mione? Did something happen? Are you alright?"

"I am, I guess, but I… well, something happened." It took a few seconds for Ginny's eyes to open wide.

"For Merlin's sake, something happened with Snape. I knew that if you continued with those meetings something was going to happen, what was it? Did you kiss him? Did you touch him? Did he do something to you? Tell me he didn't-"

"Hush, Ginny, it was nothing like that! And of course he didn't do anything to me."

"Then, what was it? It must have been something, because this morning you were all grumpy because of soft insinuations, and now you just dragged me to your room to talk about him, speak."

"Well… we discussed a few things, nothing interesting for you, one thing lead to another, and we ended up hugging." Ginny looked at the girl bite her lip, something was off.

"As weird as that sounds, I don't think you are telling the entire story here."

"Right before leaving… I told him something, and I think I should have not, I am afraid he might consider me a stalker or something worse." The red head crossed her arms, letting the brunette know she was running out of patience. "I told him…" the girl took a deep breath "I told him I was thinking of him when I kissed Harry." Ginny's face lighted with a smile of amusement and at the same time disbelief, picturing her friend say such a thing to non less than the hated potions master.

"And…? Did that really happen? Were you really thinking of him when you kissed Harry?" Though they were talking about her boyfriend, she found the idea amusing; after all, she preferred that to the idea of her friend lusting after him.

"I-I guess I was, ok? I don't think it is such a big deal, I had spent a lot of time with him, he was helping me, it was rather obvious I was going to think of him when I needed him the most."

"Oh, Hermione, don't play naive, it was not why you thought of him, but what you did with that thought. If I am honest here, I didn't really think you were falling for Snape, I was just teasing you. I even believed all that ' _he is a professor'_ , ' _he is too old'_ , ' _stop that, Ginny'_ lecture you gave me, I was totally gonna stop with it." She stated quoting with her fingers and faking Hermione's voice.

"I never said he was too old."

"… Didn't you? I assumed you did, you know, it sounds as a logical reason to not fall for him, the kind you would use."

"I am not falling for him! He is a professor, how many times do I have to tell you?" Ginny rolled her eyes and sat in the edge of Hermione's bed.

"You just keep repeating that to yourself till you believe it, I was not the one who told him I thought of him while kissing other man. Why did you even bring me up here? Do you want me to support this weird romance of you with a teacher old enough to be your father? Or do you want me to talk some sense into you? Because I am not following the idea." Hermione sighed, she wasn't sure about anything.

"I really don't know, Ginny, actually I was expecting you could sort of tell me I didn't freak him out… I guess." Hermione shrugged in her place, unsure of how to stand in front of Ginny who was clearly annoyed for her lack of assertiveness.

"… he is Snape, Hermione, I am sure you are the first student ever to tell him that. I have no way to know what he is thinking now, he might be sleeping sound dreaming of a school with no students, or he could actually be thinking in how weird it was when Hermione Granger told him she liked him."

"I didn't tell him that…" Ginny took her eyes away from her, and stared at the desk, then at her bed, finally at the ceiling, to finally sigh.

"It doesn't really matter how he feels about what you said, until you are sure of what YOU meant with it. And you shouldn't worry, I am sure he will let you know how he felt about that obviously non-a-confession."

"What if I scared him and now he refuses to help me any longer and just tell Professor McGonagall about it? What if he stops the meetings and ignores me at classes and for the rest of his life?"

"Would that really be that terrible?" Hermione didn't answer. The red head stood up and placed her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "That should give you an idea of where this is going. Whatever you decide, Hermione, I'll support you, as long as it makes you happy, and if anything happens, I will be right downstairs and we can go hit some bludgers, throw some rocks or even read every book in the library, whatever helps you."

"Thank you, Ginny, I think I'd like that." Both girls hugged for enough time to be comforting.

"However, Mione, if you decide you love him, and you want to marry him tomorrow and have four children, one for each Hogwarts house, I must tell you I really don't think Snape will be into any of that." Ginny prepared to get a second bruise in her left arm, getting Hermione's laugh instead.

"I don't want four children… maybe one or two, I am not sure either, and don't worry, I am quite aware he would not think of me like that."

"Funny thing, I used to think the same of Harry, he is so famous, the chosen one, what he could possibly like of the poor Weasley girl. I don't intend to encourage you, but… a lot of crazy things happen in Hogwarts." Ginny shrugged and walked to the door "I better get going, or Ron is gonna make us lose all the season."

"Say good night to them from me." The red hair waved her hand as a goodbye and closed the door, leaving Hermione much calmer to finish her essay on astronomy.

It was the next day, and Hermione had decided to follow Ginny's advice, and focus on her feelings before freaking out about Snape's answer. However, she could not avoid feeling nervous at the idea of him looking at her with disgust from the High Table, so she waited for the boys and Ginny to go. The first to meet her was Ron, who greeted her with a smile, and for some reason she felt him more awkward than usual.

"Hi" There was silence for a few seconds, before Hermione talked again "I was waiting for you and Harry to go to the Great Hall."

"Harry is usually awake before me, but I think he stayed till late last night working in something, it may take him a while to come down."

"Oh, well… If you are hungry, I guess we could-" The idea of eating alone with Ron with this level of anxiety coming from him was not really fascinating, but she didn't want to sound rude, what didn't really matter, because she was abruptly interrupted by Ron.

"Are we alright?" The question took her by surprise; whilst the boy hid his hands in his pocket.

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean… We have not been spending much time together, I MEAN, you know, like together with Harry and Ginny, or just Harry, it doesn't really matter together with who else, did I say something, did I- what I am trying to say is-" It was not necessary to use legeremens to know where the boy was going.

"No, Ron, I have not been avoiding you." As he seemed to speak again, the girl quickly added "I have just been really busy with the classes, the essays and my job as a prefect that is all."

"But I am a prefect too, and even when we are supposed to be working together, you are in some extra lesson with Snape or doing some essay you didn't have time to do before, talking to Ginny or skipping classes to go to the hospital wing. Maybe it is not about me, maybe it is something else, so be honest with me, Mione… are you alright?"

Hermione couldn't avoid but wonder when did Ron become such a good observant. If only he had paid half of that attention to her earlier. She was trying to find a proper answer to his concern, but lucky her, it was not necessary, since at that very moment Harry appeared. The golden boy noticed Hermione and Ron's expression, so he approached them with caution.

"Did something happen?" Both gryffindors looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.

"Ron was just asking me how I felt, because of my –hum- arm." The girl lifted it as if it was proof enough. "It is alright, thanks for asking."

"Good to know, Hermione, it was a powerful explosion, I'm glad you are alright now."

"Thanks, Harry."

Ginny joined them a few minutes later, so they went to the Great Hall. On their way, Hermione caught with the corner of her eyes how Ron looked at her a couple times, just to immediately look away, reason why she decided to definitely sit away from him, and keep some distance, in a foolish attempt to delay an answer.

When they got into the Great Hall, Hermione looked up to the High Table, finding Snape already sitting there, together with all the other professors, which was rather unusual. She looked at him till their eyes met, her cheeks gained a pinkish tone as she tried to figure out if the man was disgusted at her, which didn't happen. The Potions Master simply nodded as usual and continued to stare blankly at the slytherin table. She let go a sigh of relief, the man didn't seem upset, maybe her words didn't mean that much.

Before long, McGonagall stood up from her place at the High Table and approached the podium, coughing to get the students attention, but not having any result, the woman used her wand to project her voice.

"Hogwarts students, I beg for your attention, I have an important notice for all of you concerning some new measures to be implemented in the school that I believe will affect all of us in a way or another" There was silence in the Great Hall, all the students focused in the headmistress. Hermione knew what her speech was going to be about, so as she spoke her mind started to drift along the table, to fix on the potions professor. His eyes were blank as he stared at McGonagall, absorbed in his thoughts. He carelessly picked his cup from the table and drank from it. Hermione saw when the man let go of the cup as if it was on fire, looked backed at her with what she could've sworn was fear and stood up, not caring for McGonagall, her speech or the shattering noise made by the cup hitting the floor, he left the Great Hall by the closest door.

"… Expulsion. Any student who commits a joke will be punished based on the severity of their acts; you shall contemplate expulsion as an option." McGonagall proceeded with her speech, attempting to silence the whispers that began with Snape's abrupt exit.

Hermione was dying of worry, having an internal battle if to follow the man, but there was no one moving in the Great Hall, and the whispers were lowering their intensity when McGonagall continued her speech. She looked at the entrance, and recognized a student walking out, so she didn't doubt it any longer and stood up to leave, with her friends looking at her with concern, excepting Ginny, she knew where she was going and didn't pay much attention, hushing the boys to bring silence to the room once more.

Hermione ran for the hallways, downstairs to the dungeons, and when she got to the corner of Snape's office she saw two slytherin girls using their wand on the door, she quickly took her wand out as well. The young witch intended to approach them in silence, in order to recognize them, or at least the year they were from, but she could not take things calmly any longer when the taller girl pushed the door open, looking rather suspicious.

"Hey you two, what are you doing down here?" The moment Hermione talked, the girls froze in place, looked at each other nervously and then left running, not allowing Hermione to have a clear view of their faces. The brunette thought in following them, but shook away the idea, suddenly remembering her real reason to be there. When she placed her hand in the door, her mind got full of second thoughts, what if the man got upset because of her following him? What if it was something dangerous? What were those girls doing there? What if he even wasn't there? Deep inside her she had a feeling of what could it be, but she was wishing for it to be impossible.

"Professor? I am coming in." There was no answer, so she pushed the door open and immediately noticed the room was pitch black, together with a constant and heavy sound. "Lumos" the light emerged from the tip of her wand, allowing her to inspect the room, looking for the source of the pounding. She was shocked to found it was Snape himself, standing in front of his desk, punching the exact same spot in the wood over and over again. "Sir!" Hermione closed the door and rushed to his side, the darkness of the room was making her inefficient and nervous, so she used her wand to enlighten the candles around the room, with it being completely illuminated she could see his hand, which was clearly bruised and started to leave threads of blood.

The girl meant to stop him, but the man seemed to be in some kind of trance, ignoring her existence, even when she was standing right next to him. Hermione inspected his face, which was far from showing the pain he should be feeling, instead there was a mixture of anger and concentration.

"Professor…?" There was no answer, though she was almost touching him, he was definitely hexed or under a potion's effect, she feared for the last one. "You need to stop, you are hurting yourself. Can you listen to me, sir? I am going to stop you, I am- I am going to do it now." She considered using a spell, but feared for the consequences, so she ended up leaving her wand on the desk, and stopping his hand with her own; she waited for the man to lift his hand to catch it in the air. The moment she touched him the man stopped and turned to see her, his eyes carried anger in them. She waited for him to say or do something, but the one thing the man seemed able to do was bite his bottom lip, so strong the girl thought it was going to rip any minute.

"Leave." He let go that one word, with his eyes fixed in hers.

"I am not leaving till I am sure you are not hurting yourself." The man punched the desk with his left arm so firm a few items fell from it and the girl jumped in her place.

"Go now." He dragged every word, speaking seemed to be a much painful act than hitting the desk for him.

"Yo-you can talk," after being scared by the sudden noise, she stood still, shining her courage "I won't go anywhere, I can help, just tell me-" There was a sudden movement from the man, who attempted to remove his hand from her touch, but caused the girl to lose balance and press against him, still hanged to his hand. The man closed his eyes to her proximity, with his face disfigured into an agony expression. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"she let go of him, and intended to step back when she was caught by her waist.

Hermione looked down to see his left arm around her, there was no more denying, the trembling, the difficulty for speaking, not to mention his desperate efforts to focus, he was going through the same as her, and he was slowly losing every inch of control left. She looked back at his eyes, shadowed by the potion, something fighting to stay in place. She knew she had to stop him, she wanted to, but she couldn't help but being curious on what her potions master, the man that has filled her mind for the past two days would do. She didn't have to wait long for an answer, since he pushed her against the desk, cornering her between his arms. Hermione let go a gasp of surprise, her eyes wide open but she didn't see much, his head was right next to her face.

"I told you…" She was sure she was supposed to be scared by the whole situation, but she couldn't avoid noticing how his voice was huskier than usual, like a purr in her ear "I warned you."

"You wouldn't hurt me." She felt his breath around her neck, and she focused on it, relaxing and constant. She let go a second gasp when his hand touched his waist and traveled all the way up to her back, caressing her "I trust you." His hands were followed by his mouth, planting kisses along her neck. The chances for it to be only a dream started to crawl in her mind, if it weren't for the uncomfortable feeling of the edge of the desk against her back; it was surely to leave a bruise. His hand traveled back to her waist, to the limit of her sweater and slid under it, making contact with her bare skin. This brought her back to reality, awakening her ethical self.

"I should…" Her voice was soft, whispering to herself "I should stop you, I really should." She clumsily moved her hand around the desk, finding some parchments, and other unrecognizable items that she carelessly moved away, till she finally got to her wand. It almost slipped from her hand when his thumb reached the inside of her bra, but she managed to hold it and carefully place it around his chest, hardly breathing to keep the moans inside her.

She hesitated when she lifted her wand, on one hand there was her ethical side, screaming this was wrong at many levels, that even if she was just standing there, with her legs shaking and her voice trembling, she was the one in control, that this was not different of taking advantage of a drugged girl in a party, she kept repeating herself how immoral it was to enjoy his lack of will, when he had been careful to respect her and her boundaries every previous time. But, on the other hand, she wondered how long it could last, this was definitely not happening ever again, she had to manipulate him into a hug the evening before, and now she was melting because of soft kisses in her collarbone and rough caresses in her skin.

She closed her eyes, determined to end it, fearing her selfish desires would take over her any further, precluding her to stop him later. When the man shifted suddenly, both his hands traveled from her breast and desk to her legs, up her thighs and arse. She let go of her wand, causing a dull sound in the floor, instead she was quick to wrap her arms around his neck, looking for support for what she knew was coming, she felt her body being lifted and placed on the edge of the desk, with her legs fully open around the man's hips.

"Professor?!" Her eyes were lock in his, as she called him by his title, absolutely aware it was not going to have any impact on the man, completely lost inside himself, powerless to her question. A chocked moan escaped Hermione's lips at the feeling of his rough hands toughly pressed against her arse and neck, Snape let go a growl when he pushed against her, just to lean down and contain the moans coming from her mouth with his own.

Hermione had spent most of her time in her personal mental struggle, but now she had decided based on the clear arousal between her legs, firmly pounding against her own, that she was not going to question it any longer, her wand on the floor, her thoughts completely fuzzy and most of her body shaking and trembling, she couldn't stop him not even if she wanted. Instead, the girl allowed herself to finally tangle her fingers around his hair and to enjoy the feeling of his tongue wandering inside her mouth, his slight bites to her lips and his strong hands traveling her body.

This was until the heat started to grow in her, she felt her arousal slowly building up, and for some reason it scared her; it would be basically the end for the situation, the unmistakable assurance of her shameless abuse on her teacher. Though it was clear he was enjoying her reactions, she was not supposed to feel this good because of his moment of weakness. The girl collected herself, separating her hands from his hair to move them to his chest, pushing softly at the beginning but harder with the increasing of his rhythm.

"S-Stop" Hermione managed to part their mouths, with her lips swollen and wet, her hands still firmly pressed against his chest. "Stop, stop, s-" She couldn't finish, a cry escaped her mouth, her mind was suddenly filled with fireworks and the feeling of jolts overwhelmed her body. Just then, with that cry, the potions master froze, just to immediately step backwards, till his back hit a chair, which supported and helped him to remain in place, as he clawed his hands to it, refraining himself from any movement.

From there, he saw the shaking and panting girl on the floor, who had fallen the minute her only source of support left her. Her entire self was a mess, her hair was completely tangled, her uniform entirely out of place, with part of her underwear still visible. He beheld as his most capable student uselessly attempted to recover her breath and regain some dignity. It was agonizing to see her like that because of him, his eyes trailed every bare skin he could spot, looking for signs of physical harm, because there were most certainly going to be emotional ones. Though, he was not risking getting closer, not till he could completely feel his fingers, the numb sensation still present in half of his body, clear mark the potion was yet to run off.

"I- that was- I am- Are you… how are you?" He wished for a window to throw himself off, her body was still curled on the floor, panting words with effort, and it was to ask him how he was. Ashamed, guilty, mortified, many possible answers, but he said none. Instead, he looked for his wand in the inside pocket of his coat, which was actually a much difficult task than expected with his body insisting in going back to her.

"Sir?" That was all Hermione could mutter, as she finally raised her head to see a blue light, then everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 13:**

It was class time, so it was weird for some senior students who were walking around the hallways to see Severus Snape stalk straight forward, his eyes focused on the ground, ignoring completely the astonished looks and the whispers about this unusual defeated position of him. Not like he cared either, all his efforts were in avoiding listening or seeing any person that could get the worse of him, internally damning the fact that it was Thursday, one of the only two days McGonagall had several classes, she was most surely teaching some sixth or seventh year students, exactly the ones he wanted to avoid the most. He stood in front of the transfiguration classroom, and took a deep breath, preparing for what was to come, when he was sure there was no other way, he raised his head, reacquiring his imposing self and pushed the door open.

As it was really rare for any class to be interrupted, all of the students from sixth year turned around to glare at the man, standing as tall and dignified as always in the entrance of the classroom.

"Professor Snape" McGonagall's voice rose from a group of ravenclaws "May I help you?" bewilderment and consternation clear in her tone.

"I apologize for the interruption, headmistress, but I need to have a word with you." He tried to focus only in the woman and not in the dozens of eyes over him.

"Classes are about to finish, can't this wait?" The woman's head leaned, adjusting her glasses to see the man's expression, looking for any indicator of emergency.

"I am afraid not." He smiled softly, with both his hands firmly pressed behind him, hiding his bruised and sore hand. McGonagall understood his smile as a sign of a real but personal alert, something not related to the school, but him, so in return she gave a brief look to the closest students. Her intentions were clear to him, and he was thankful for the woman's ability to follow his lead "Alone, if possible."

"Very well…" She moved her wand and all the books around the room slammed closed. "You will finish chapter twenty-one for next Tuesday, class dismissed." There was silence, as no student appeared to take seriously her words "Moving, go, go." She clapped her hands twice, hurrying the students to move, which finally had a result; they quickly took their books and quills, and pushed themselves to the door, excepting Ginny. The red head waited till last and walked slowly in front of the man, who had cornered himself to the wall, only to give him a good look, worrying for his reasons to be there, could Hermione be involved in whatever had happened?

"Good morning, professor." She waited for the man's answer, scrutinizing his face for a hint. He took a second deep breath before spitting his reply.

"Morning." Ginny looked at his face a bit longer, but not finding any other reason to stay, she finally lowered her face and left to look for Hermione, she was sure to have more info on the matter with her.

McGonagall waited for the girl to leave the classroom to close the door with a swing of her wand. Then, and only then, Snape let go a sigh of relief and allowed himself to collapse on the closest wall, relaxing his still half numb body, at least till he was reached by the transfiguration professor.

"What is the matter, Severus?" she waited, but the man didn't even raise his head, she suddenly felt as a mother scolding a boy for not acting right. "I have another class in twenty minutes."

"You may want to cancel them; this is more likely to take some time." She heard his voice, but his face was still hiding beneath the curtains of hair. She meant to protest, but the man added "I have already cancelled mine."

"All of your classes? The whole morning?"

"The whole day, week, month, till new notice. They are just cancelled." McGonagall's jaw fell open, she must have heard wrong. His childish attitude was running her out of patience. "I am not going to lie, Minerva, this is bad." This was an emotional roller coaster, going from curiosity, to anger and now concern. She lifted her hand to touch Snape's shoulder as a sign of attention and understanding. "Don't" she immediately stopped, her hand still in the air when the man continued "Just don't. I am not… I am not safe."

"Not safe? What do you mean you are not safe? Are you hurt?"

"I… I…" He struggled, trying to find the words, how to explain her the whole situation taking place in a simple sentence, in a way that wouldn't get her to go mad and curse him. "I don't know where to begin with."

"… Then, how about you show me?" The man raised his head to see the woman with a tender smile. "I am not good at all with legeremens, but I have other ways…" he nodded as the woman turned on her hills and started to walk to the back of the classroom, dragging her wand against some of the bricks of the wall, it started to crumble and open in similar motion to the entrance for Diagon Alley, revealing the headteacher's office on the other side. "You must know this hasn't always been here. I asked for it to be arranged when I became headmistress, I have to admit the title comes with many benefits… being informed of powerful spells, charms and obviously curses being used for example, though your reasons to obliviate Mr Longbottom remain still a mystery to me." Snape always knew the castle held no secret for the current headteacher, informing him or her of any magical irregularity happening within, of course he knew, he was there once, but this clear attack to his credibility didn't help him, so he stopped in the entrance of the office, trying to recover his self-respect from the guilt inflicted. "I am not angry at you, Severus, I know you must have had your reasons to obliviate a student, perhaps related to the explosion caused by Miss Granger early that morning?" He panicked, just how much did she know? She has become a second Dumbledore, pretending to know nothing, but manipulating everybody around. "Based on your expression I presume my assumptions to be correct." She opened the cupboard sheltering the pensieve and carefully threw it to the centre of the room. "It is up to you, Severus, I will believe anything you say, or I will witness it myself, your choice only."

The man sighed and moved next to the penseive to see inside it, the idea of McGonagall being in all of his last memories with Hermione was unsettling, but he couldn't handle the thought of staring at her face as he explained her the whole situation, at least in this way he could look away till it was over. He took his wand and placed it in his forehead, he closed his eyes, trying to remember just the important and key parts, omitting anything unnecessary, before dropping the silver thread in the liquid, which quickly began to change, finally he stepped back and looked away.

The woman walked with her hands intertwined in front of her, looking much calmer than him. "You may want to take a seat, no offense, Severus, but you look quite…" Snape waited for the insult to come "tired." Just when she commented on his appearance he became conscious of it, he took his time to try to rearrange his clothes before leaving his office, but did not take into consideration his hair or anything else, suddenly feeling he was going to throw out he went for the closest chair and sat heavily, just in the moment the woman delicately introduced her face inside the penseive.

The shadows started to take form around her, with Hermione sitting a few meters away, and Snape immersed in some parchments, she observed as the girl stood up and kissed him, as the man's voice was heard ' _I believe Miss Granger to be sick, I've kept her belongings on my desk as she left, return them safely._ " The next thing she saw was the potions classroom, with Hermione being interrogated ' _detention, seven o'clock at my office to discuss what is truly expected from a seventh year Hogwarts student_ ', the shadows twisted to create the potions master' office ' _I'm certain this is a potion's doing…You have completely prohibited to discuss this topic with anyone._ ' Then, it was the girl's turn to answer ' _I understand, and I will not comment this with anyone, but if this happens in front of others… How about a class? Or the Great Hall?' 'I will keep an eye on you during both scenarios, potions class and every visit to the Great Hall, I am assuming you would have no problem with me… stopping you by any means.' 'Do whatever you have to do.'_ Then the girl climbed on his desk, and the man jumped back. The memories continued to form around her, as she placed all the pieces together to figure out the complete story, finishing with Hermione muttering something she could not hear, and closing the door.

The headmistress took her head off the pienseve, gasping not only for air, but for the surprise of finding out what had been happening right behind her nose, she turned to see Snape, still sitting and looking rather sicker than before. She stayed there, with her mouth open, unsure what to do, she wanted to be supportive, because she knew that the man meant no harm, but she also wanted to take him by his coat and shake him for keeping a student from her own house being drugged for so long.

"I know you are already horrified," her mouth closed into a displeased expression "-But… there is something more."

"Something more? Keeping these secret lessons of you, drugging other students, endangering both, I cannot not even count how many Hogwarts rules you have broken." He let go a chuckle, which she recognized as a self defense mechanism, so she breathed, calming herself, after all, nobody was hurt. "What is it, Severus? What are you not telling me?"

"I… was fed with that potion this morning, during your speech." The woman froze, intuiting where this was going. "I immediately noticed, because it was as Miss Granger said, a warm and numb feeling, but it was not slow, it didn't give me time to calmly stand and leave, it was… invasive and intense." He raised his head to finally lock his eyes on hers "She never mentioned it to have any flavor, it was supposed to be imperceptible, but when I drank my coffee, it was sweet… and I don't have any sugar."

"An overdoses." Her mouth was covered with her left hand, muttering for her own.

"I went to my office, classes were to begin, nobody was supposed to be around that hallway, but I closed the door anyways, just to be sure, and when I was in… everything melted, I was so… angry, with whoever did it, but especially with myself for being so stupid. I never thought…" He covered his face with both his hands "I believed myself to be beyond any silly joke, to be too intimidating to be even considered, but I should have known, I should have known that because of that… because of my reputation I was the clear objective, with Hermione presumably conscious and in warned, it was only logical to target me."

"Severus, your hand." The woman noticed for the first time his swollen and bloody hand in his face. "We need to heal you."

"No." he took off his hands, only to stare bitterly at the purplish bruise. "The pain is keeping me alert; it helps me focus on something, because I am still in no full control of my body, I still may lose it and destroy your office or do something to you."

"You wouldn't destroy my office or hurt me, Severus." The woman was sure of it, even in the middle of a war, when his life depended on convincing the Dark Lord of his loyalty, he couldn't hurt her. He chuckled for the second time in the day.

"… She said the same, and look where that brought us."

"She? She who?"

"… Hermione Granger, she followed me to the dungeons, I closed the door, Minerva, but she managed to get it. I didn't even realize she was there, I was convinced I was alone so I was focusing all my anger in just one place, I wanted to tear my whole office to pieces, but I was still managing the numb sensation, till she stopped me in the air. She used both of her- " he thought in the adjectives of small and soft, but bit his tongue, which as part of his body seemed to have a mind of its own "- hands, and even so I almost punched her. I asked her to go, but she insisted, she wouldn't leave no matter what I did."

"What did you do?" Her face shadowed, understanding the hints of guilt in his voice.

"I… I took her, I cornered her on my desk, I had no control over my body for that moment, I just could see her, hear her broken voice saying something about stopping me, feel her…" He hissed through his teeth, pressing his sore hand. "Completely hopeless, not even as a Death Eater, Minerva, I've avoided doing something like this for so many years… just to let it happen with a student, and not any student, Granger, from all of the dunderheads I teach, I did this to the one who has done nothing to deserve it, loyal, brilliant and kind, I've spent the last two weeks lecturing her about trust… for this, she begged me to stop and I-"there was a knot in his throat, and his voice became weak. He saw the woman's figure in front of him and contained a gasp. "I'd rather you to stay the furthest you-"

"No, Severus, if what you showed me in the penseive is true, you won't hurt me, you are in need of something different, aren't I correct?" Snape felt her arms around his head "You have never been good to express your feelings, not even as a boy, it is time to let go. I will have plenty of time to be mad at you later." His forehead touched the fabric of her robe and he felt as something finally broke inside him, presumably because of the drug, a few tears to come down his face hidden in the woman's embrace, his emotions were the harder to keep in place. "Albus is not here… I know you came looking for me as the closest you have to him, but I am not… this is what I have to offer, it is not the same, but I trust it will help." McGonagall showed a smile in her lips before inhaling and hardening her tone "Now, I believe you are not finished, what happened to Miss Granger, Severus?"

"I… forced myself upon her; she ended up on the floor looking as one of Greyback's victims." The woman made a fist of his coat, closing hers eyes to the idea "I didn't want to, Minerva, you know me."

"I know, I know… how bad?"

"Azkaban bad."

"Oh no, tell me you didn't-" Her face was completely red, half because of the implication of his words and half because of the wrath.

"If you want to know the chances of her being pregnant, the answer is none. I didn't go that far." The abrupt change of tone and the fact the woman was close to bruise his arm with her tight grab made him recover his posture. "Both of us fully clothed the entire time, if that serves you." He felt his arm being freed, the woman had let go of a sigh and her embrace as well, to separate and take some distance.

"Did she say something? Did she do anything? For Merlin's sake, Severus, where is she now?"

"She curled on the floor, and made great effort to ask me how I was… ME, Minerva, the girl asked me how I was, I panicked… so I stupefied her, I believe she is still lying on the floor of my office." There was silence for a long time, as the woman twitched her lip and moved behind her desk. "I will turn on my resignation tomorrow morning."

"Oh no, you won't." The man looked her with narrowed eyes.

"You can also fire me with immediate effect; give me a few hours to be out of the castle… Unless you would rather to inform the ministry, I will be prepared for Azkaban. "

"You are not going anywhere, Severus, especially not Azkaban. You didn't go there for murder, and you are not going now."

"I didn't go to Azkaban because the old crazy man of Dumbledore had his way until the end and even after that. I've done… terrible things, Minerva, things you can only have nightmares of but every time I had the remote idea of turning myself in, he brainwashed me into thinking it was for the greater good. The war is over, tell me what would be the greater good in this."

"Miss Granger and Hogwarts, obviously." The man's face disarranged into a disbelief and unpleased expression, usually he would've swallowed her words remaining as unreadable as ever, but he proved to be more incapable of controlling his facial expressions than his body. "If you leave Hogwarts, there will be questions… I will be forced to present the reasons for rather your dismissal or resignation to the ministry. What to expect if you go to Azkaban, I can already see your picture in the cover of The Prophet, the letters from the parents… Not to mention the rumors about Miss Granger, you know how our world works, this could destroy her reputation. No, this must be handled with extreme discretion."

"I know what you are about to suggest, I know, because it is what Dumbledore would have suggested in that same chair, reducing all this to a simple accident, a joke."

"If you are so against my suggestion… then, maybe you could explain to me why you had no objection to obliviate Mr. Longbottom, but you oppose to the idea of taking this memory from Miss Granger."

"I actually want to, I thought in obliviating her the moment I realized what an impact this would be for her entire life, it's just that-"

"No just, no buts, Miss Granger will be better without this image of you during her potion lessons, and actually, Severus, you seem to be so affected by this, completely blind to the fact you are also a victim, that I am considering to obliviate you as well." Snape was quick to point her wand at the woman, who did not even blink. "I've come to notice you seem to be fond to this memory, any particular reason?"

"I need this, I don't want to see her sitting in my class as nothing ever happened, I don't want to continue with these extra lessons, and I especially do not intend to have any more contact than necessary with her ever again." Every word was bitterly spitted "if you make me forget, I will continue with this same routine, I will have her knocking at my door every evening, sitting at my office, reading a book, commenting on fun facts or irrelevant topics she found fascinating, asking me about my day, risking to be drugged again and repeating my very mistakes."

"You appear to have it quite clear." She rose her eyebrow, surprised for his security to speak. "Then it is decided, we will go to your office, obliviate Miss Granger, have her memories modified to make her believe she never got to you in the same place, and most importantly, find whoever is behind this." Snape lowered his wand, though still holding it, feeling stiff and anxious to the idea of leaving the room. "Ready to go?" He turned around to indicate he was as ready as could be and they walked together to the front door.

There were no many students around, as they were supposed to be in classes, with only a few exceptions from older ones. Just as he got to the transfiguration classroom, Severus Snape walked the complete extension of route with his eyes nailed to the floor and his fists firmly closed, while the woman greeted some of the students and smiled to others, attempting to diminish the chattering started with this weird attitude from the potions master.

Once they were in the dungeons, both of them made sure there was no one else around before entering the hallway to Snape's office.

"Minerva." The man had stopped a few steps behind, causing the woman to turn around to face him. "I… I am not sure I can- Perhaps… Perhaps it would be wise for you to go in first and…" the way his eyes melted in the ground was enough to understand his request.

"I'll go in first and tend to her, but I believe you should be the one to cast the spell, you have proven yourself to be quite more familiar with it, together with knowing exactly what to erase, what to modify and what to save."

"I will." He switched his wand, creating a clank sound, indicating the door was open. "Just, please…" McGonagall gave him a final look, pitying what a potion could make to such brave and strong man, who in spite of permanently projecting himself as insensitive but reasonable, was currently reduced to a weak and defeated position, resting in the wall and fighting to calm his breathing. The door creaked as she entered. She found the room to be slightly illuminated, looking as neat as ever for her first scan, expecting the setting to look far worse. Then she saw her, just as Snape described, lying on the ground in a much uncomfortable position, which was definitely leaving her sore for a few days, together with her clothes and hair being a mess.

"Oh dear…" She crouched to be closer to the girl, quickly inspecting her before casting some healing spells. Once she was sure there were not visible indicators of the morning events, neither in her hair or clothes, she carefully levitated the young witch to the sofa, placing her eyes in the disastrous desk, causing her heart to pinch, it certainly looked like a crime scene all around it.

Meanwhile the woman was busy in the inside, The Potions Master was struggling to clean the memories of the recent events, with his eyes tightly closed, in a futile attempt to concentrate in what to erase, and how to replace it, instead of the smell of her hair and the feeling of her bare skin in his fingers.

"Professor Snape?" The sudden question made him jump; standing in front of him was Ginny, staring at his face with meticulous attention. "I'm sorry to bother you, here… in the middle of the hallway." He had previously noticed how the Weasley girl was sassy and fond to sarcasm, if only he wasn't afraid to do anything inappropriate he would've commented on how his location was of no business to anyone, instead he bit his tongue and remained silent. "I am looking for Hermione, but she is nowhere to be found, haven't you seen her?" Though he had worked many years as a double agent, he had never felt this paranoid in his entire life, could she possibly know something? He had seen the camaraderie and friendship between the girls grew with time, maybe Hermione had told her about him, about the kiss, the real meaning of their extra lessons, everything. His face became paler and he tried to collect himself to bring an answer, but his mouth was fighting to mutter a simple no. "Professor, are you feeling alright?"

"Professor Snape is alright, Miss Weasley, and as sure as I am he appreciates your concern on his health, we have other matters to attend, so if you excuse us; Professor Snape, this way."

"Yes, headmistress." He glanced a final time at Ginny before grounding his face on the ground once more and entering his own office.

"I didn't mean to bother him; I was just looking for Hermione." The woman held her eyes, "Headmistress." After this, she finally decided to conceive an answer.

"I've not happened to see her. Have you tried your common room or around the castle? She is certain not to be in my class, cancelled as you noticed."

"Thank you, Professor, I will go look for her outside as you suggested." The girl turned on her heels and started walking, as McGonagall let go a sigh and entered the office, closing the door behind her.

She found the man standing in the middle of the room, wistfully staring at Hermione's body, sound asleep on the sofa. The transfiguration master walked straight and sat close to her, carefully holding her head and placing it on her lap, she removed some locks of hair from her face and cleared her forehead.

"It is time; have in mind her friends are already looking for her, so she cannot believe to have been in a public place."

"Did you heal her?"

"I did use some charms, but as I had no way to find out the extension of her wounds, if any, there was no much to be done. She may still be sore when she wakes up."

"I can work with that." He pulled up the sleeves of his robes, but it didn't make a real difference since they were tightly adjusted to his wrists. He reluctantly kneeled on one knee next to her, holding his wand with a trembling hand.

"As secret as this must remain, I remind you of the extreme value of memories, we shall keep the original one safe, just in case." He looked at her with slight surprise, then nodded and reached a flask conveniently located in the coffee table behind him; he would move the memory to a more appropriate container later. The woman placed a gentle but firm hand on his, offering a slight and comforting smile "This is for the best of both of you, breath." He did so, filling his lungs with cold air and after the woman let go his hand, he proceeded to mutter the spell, holding the wand next to her face, there was a skyblue bright light shining from his wand, followed by the silver thread of her removed memory to be placed in the flask.

"Take her to her bed when I get over with this." After a few moments he was done and removed himself to collapse on the closest chair, his elbow placed on his desk, resting his head on his open hand. He waited for the woman to leave, he was too tired of holding control, and though the numb feeling only remained in his limbs and tongue, he was already to his limits.

"Severus…" Oh God, what else could she be expecting from him? "I… couldn't avoid noticing the words you used to describe Miss Granger." He had spoken too much in her office, unusual for him, so he had no clue of the exact words he had used, and neither he had idea of how that could be relevant now. "You referred to her in a way I have only heard many others describe another woman, a very unique and especial witch… loyal, brilliant and kind." He abruptly raised his head to pierce McGonagall with his eyes, it was clear that another woman was Lily, why else would she be commenting on those adjectives. "If I had asked you about Miss Granger three weeks ago, or maybe even yesterday, you would've alluded her as an unbearable burden to you and her classmates, a permanent know-it-all whose only real goal was to monopolize knowledge in order to show off. I've heard you describe her like that before… but now, that you've lost the ability to measure your words, and you spit the truth, I am only to wonder for how long you have changed your mind about her, for how long have you have had her under the same impression as-"

"Shut up." The cat was out of the bag and he didn't care for being polite to her anymore. Her comparison of Hermione with the woman he had loved the most was making him sick.

"No, I will not let the chance to ask you about this go through my fingers, as I am positive it will help you as well to be honest to yourself for a once time life. If you tell me you don't, I will just assume all this happened because of her looks, with Miss Granger being a beautiful young witch, if there is any sign of hesitation or delay in your answer, I will prove my point… Severus, is there the remote chance you have-"

"No." He knew where she was going and interrupting seemed as the only way, he was close to start singing lalala over and over again just to avoid the question.

"Interrupting only confirms how uneasy and nervous you are for it."

"I am interrupting this unnecessary nonsense, I find this completely unprofessional, furthermore I remind you of the-"

"Unprofessional? You are accusing me of being unprofessional? Severus Snape, you tell me right now what your feelings are towards Hermione Granger."

He froze, the question was made, his tongue was about to run free and she had already stated that any hint of hesitation or delay would betray him. His mind raced to find an answer, to say he had no feelings for her beyond bearing with her obnoxious personality. But his mind was filled with images of her big almond eyes staring intently at him between his arms and the sweet sound of her voice chattering about the plots of muggles books he had never heard of but had come to like because of her in a ridiculously short period of time.

"I will make it easier for you. Look at her, and tell me you dislike her." He did as he was told, and his eyes fluttered to the girl's face, eyes closed and long eyelashes, her lips slightly parted, shooting flashbacks of her flavor.

"I… For her… I…" He just couldn't, three simple words, he repeated himself, three simple and truthful words that because of her numb tongue were so hard to pronounce. The face of the woman was increasing in disapproval with every passed second. Then, suddenly there was a groan of protest and both teachers looked at Hermione stirring to wake up.

"We will discuss this later." With that said both female disappeared, with the headmaster's benefit of apparating within and outside the castle. He contemplated the idea of turning himself in to Azkaban right away, just in pro of avoiding such conversation. His once again perfectly organized desk was quickly razed by a savage movement of his left arm, he let go a grunt as he tore his office to pieces as he had wanted from the very beginning. He just stopped a minute to realize there was no numb feeling anymore; it was just him and his out of control wrath against the responsible for the potion and himself.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 14:**

Hermione woke up feeling her body cut into pieces and an imperative need to throw out. She stood and hurried to a bin located next to her bed, but nothing went out, after making sure the nauseas had calmed down, she moved back and sat on the floor, her head against the bed, feeling the place spinning around her.

Her senses were slowly calming down when there was a strong knock on her door, she startled and crawled, looking for the door knob, just what on earth could be possibly happening to throw her place down.

"HERMIONE! YOU IN THERE?!" that was definitely Ginny's voice, so she immediately opened, worried for her friend.

"Ginny, what is it? Did something happen?" The red hair perched herself around her shoulders, squeezing her with all her strength, sending waves of pain and discomfort through her body, especially her back. The girl suppressed a whimper; her main concern was her friend.

"I thought something had happened to you, where have you been? What happened with Snape?" the girl let her go, and was currently looking for signs of harm, "You look in pain, are you hurt?"

"I have been here all the time, I just fell for a stupid prank, I was walking down to the dungeons and I tripped on something, I think it was a trap because some kind of powder hit me, and I felt suddenly nauseas… it reminded me of Fred and George's skiving snackbox, only I did not have the cure pill or whatever, so I returned to my room to rest till feeling better." Ginny was intently looking at her face with narrowed eyes, looking for any hint of lie, as she was sure Hermione would hide info concerning Snape. "That is It, Ginny, and… I am actually still feeling bad, so your hug hurt a little."

"Oh, sorry, Mione, I didn't mean to, I was just worried, Snape has been acting really weird, there are a lot of crazy rumors around him and you were nowhere to be found, I think Ron and Harry are looking for you outside the castle, maybe even the Forbidden Forest."

"What?! Why would they do that? Didn't you think I could be in here? And wait, wait, what happened to Professor Snape?" She had just woken up, her brain still half asleep unable to process so much.

"Okay, first thing, of course I thought of your room, this is the fourth time I knock the door, and I think Ron was here a couple times too."

"Oh… Did you? I've heard nothing till now; I guess that powder really got to me."

"Got to you? You were literally poisoned; these pranks are getting out of control, we should go to the hospital wing."

"Oh no, no, no, I have classes to attend, I've already lost too many" before Ginny could protest, she quickly added "what happened to professor Snape?"

"I actually was hoping you would tell me, that's why I was so worried, I thought he was-" the girl stopped to look around her and whisper "Shouldn't we be talking about this inside your room?" She had come to the realization that they were happily chatting about the man in the middle of the prefect's corridor.

"Oh yes, of course." Hermione moved from the door to allow Ginny to go in, still feeling out of place and with her brain half working. "You thought he was…?"

"I thought he was acting like a zombie because of you, I mean, he left the great hall and you followed him, I thought- I don't know… Hermione, I imagined some crazy things." The brunette's heart fluttered a mixture of concern for the man and excitement to know what had happened to him, she certainly couldn't picture him as a zombie.

"Crazy things? What kind of crazy things?" Her legs were aching, so she moved from one to another, trying to find a more comfortable standing position.

"Well… For starters, I assumed you had found him and were helping him whatever happened to him during breakfast. That was till he appeared in the transfiguration class, he wanted to talk to McGonagall about something so important that couldn't wait, both teachers cancelled their classes, and you were nowhere to be found, so I thought maybe… don't know, he had hurt you, or something had hurt you and he was trying to fix it, or maybe he had drunk the potion aaaaand…" Her eyes rolled to stare at the ground and then looked around tracing Hermione's figure. The brunette let go a nervous giggle as she understood Ginny's insinuation.

"What? Oh no, no, of course not, I didn't reached him, so none of that happened, and don't be ridiculous, Ginny, even if he had the potion that would be the last thing he would do."

"He is a healthy man who spends all his time inside a castle full of children, you are a beautiful woman, I am sure that would be the first thing he would do." Hermione's eyes opened wide and her cheeks turned a bright red. "Don't give me that look; I am sure you were thinking of that when you decided to run after him."

"I wanted to help him! Not-"Ginny rose an eyebrow with her arms crossed, expecting for words that she knew her friend wouldn't dare to say. "Whatever, I didn't do it; obviously, I have no idea what happened to him."

"You could go ask him, he has cancelled all his classes for the complete day, and if you happen to know anything let me know, the rumors go from his mother's death to Nagini's venom making effect now and transforming him into some kind of half snake half human monster." Hermione couldn't help but think of Voldemort, and picture what Snape would look like without a nose, shuddering to the idea.

"He was looking that bad?"

"I found him in the middle of the hallway next to his office resting on a wall looking terrible, and his face became even paler when I asked him for you."

"Did he say anything?"

"He looked as he was going to, but McGonagall got out of his office and told him to go in, he lowered his head and obeyed her as a child who had just been scolded by his mother." Ginny was right, that sounded as a really weird behavior from the man. She tried to think in a single time in her six years at Hogwarts in which he had looked to the floor or appeared to be sorry for something, and she could not. A feeling of guilt suddenly invaded her for not having helped him. "Anyways, we better go find Harry and Ron, they are worried for you."

"Did you tell them about me?"

"They were looking for you before me; I don't know if you noticed, Herms, but you literally ran the complete extension of the Great Hall in the middle of a speech, everybody saw you leaving. They were worried when you didn't appear to classes." She felt embarrassed for the realization that others could've gone to the same conclusion; she following Snape.

"Oh… You are right; I guess I was really impulsive there, wasn't I?"

"What is done is done. Just please, avoid doing this again."

"If I ever happen to run after Professor Snape again, I will make sure to let you now I am safe and sound." Both girls let go a short laugh and left the room to go look for Harry and Ron.

After finding both boys looking for her around the Black Lake, and explaining what happened, the four returned to the castle to have something to eat before the afternoon classes. Hermione wondered if his teacher had had time to prepare something for her considering he seemed to be unwell, but had previously decided not to eat anything till classes were over, not because she was afraid of the food, but because there was no time to lose. She excused herself with the boys and Ginny, getting a smirk from the girl, who was aware she was skipping the first class to visit her recently favorite professor. On her way to the dungeons she started to think in waiting for the evening, maybe he would consider her to be invading his space, she had just told her the night before he was thinking of him while kissing Harry, maybe visiting during lunch time to ask him for his health would be crossing a line, but she shook the thought of his annoyed voice from her head and continued, sure that whatever the man was going through, she wanted to help him and be there for him as he was for her. It took her a bit longer than usual to get there, because of the persistent but manageable pain of her legs and half her body, it felt like she had slept over a hundred rocks and now her muscles were stiffed and sore.

Knock, knock. There was no answer, maybe he was not in there.

"Professor? It's me, Hermione."

Knock, knock. Maybe he was out of the castle and that was why he had cancelled his classes.

"I was told you weren't feeling well."

Knnock, knock. She still had time to go to her first class if she left right away. She still could return at seven pm, as every day.

"I see you aren't here, I will come back in the evening." She turned and walked a few steps, when she heard a clank followed by the creak of the door opening. Standing at the door was Snape, looking just like Ginny described, a zombie, a shadow of the man he was expecting to see. Hermione was quick to go back, staring at his face in silence before being able to speak "What happened? People are saying you cancelled all your classes, are you sick? Is there anything I can-" The man held up his hand, indicating her to stop stalking, her voice seemed to hurt his ears.

"I am fine, Miss Granger, your help is not required."

"But you look so…" There was silence as she couldn't find a proper word to describe him without being disrespectful.

"I look what?" He knew exactly what she meant, but he needed to hear it from her lips, the reinsurance of her complete disgust for him, it would make things easier.

"… Fine, you look fine, sir, but tired, if I may add." He couldn't avoid smiling with sarcasm, of course she would not say anything offensive, she was the Queen of Self-control after all, but then, she spoke again "And tense, perhaps I could come in and-" What the heck was she playing at?

"Or perhaps you could go to classes; being the one student with full schedule you must be late for some class."

"Oh, I am not attending Defense Against the Dark Arts today, we are learning about basilisks, the professor knows, er, my story with them, so I've been excused for today's class."

"If that is the case, I assume Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter to be running free around the castle as well?"

"Oh no, they are in classes actually, it was just me, because I heard about you and wanted to vis-" He had been preparing for this since McGonagall left his office, repeating over again his role, and how he was supposed to act around her, convincing himself that any positive trait he had seen in her was only a façade, a lie told to himself after evenings of her company, transforming her into a partner and not a student.

"I see, Hermione Granger does not need to attend classes because she has already faced all evil in the world, why did you even bother to attend my lesson about polyjuice potion, then? We all knew you had already prepared one, I doubt Hogwarts has anything better to offer to you, why don't you excuse yourself till Christmas?" He waited for her reaction, which based on previous ones could go from complete indignation to a slap to his face; he would accept both if that would get her to leave. But she didn't, the girl just stood there, looking at him baffled but not offended, and with every passing second her expression turned more into a concerned one.

"Is this because of something that happened to you or…" she gulped, her eyes piercing his, not wanting to blink "… because of what I said yesterday?" The man tried to recall what the girl was referring to, what had she said that could have this effect and how could he use it to his benefit.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I mean, what I said… what I said about me thinking-" she looked around "Couldn't we just talk about this inside your office, please?" she begged for it, uncomfortable being exposed in the hallway.

"Whatever it is, I am sure it can be discussed here." There was no way in hell he would allow her to go inside his office ever again; it would be too much of a reminder. The girl sighed heavily, which pleased him, she was getting tired of him.

"Are you upset because I told you I kissed Harry thinking of you?" Oh, he was not prepared for that. The Potions Master froze, his mouth opened and then closed, only to repeat both actions a couple times more. She was right, that comment had really gotten to him, tormenting his dreams, invading his thoughts, at least till he got to a biggest problem in the morning. "I-I didn't mean to offend you, I just thought you deserved to know, I mean… I guess I would like to know if you did something like that to me." His face disfigured completely "ANYONE, if anyone had that kind of thoughts about me, I guess I would like to know, that would be highly inappropriate, I was highly inappropriate" He breathlessly observed as the girl continued to try to excuse herself, moving her hands around and staring at the floor, till he saw one of those hands travel to his left arm "Please, forget I even said that." The potions master was quick to grab her wrist and pull it.

"I have already forgotten that, silly girl, and stop talking about it; your wicked fantasies are none of my business." There it was, now she was looking afraid, he felt his heart pinch at the view of her eyes menacing to cry, but he had to, for the greater good. He let go her hand and she stepped back quickly, caressing her own wrist.

"Just what happened to you?! I was drugged when it happened; it is not like I was lusting after you because I wanted!" There was silence, her words echoed in the hallway and the man looked both sides, worrying anyone could've heard the atrocity she had just screamed. And when he was certain they were alone, the words got to him, of course she didn't want him, he always knew that, but even so, he couldn't avoid a sense of loss, together with a mixture of excitement, did she just use the word lust?

"Not everything is about you, I am in no obligation to please every single demand of you, I hope this to remain clear, especially now that Professor McGonagall has been informed of your situation." The shock was clear in her expression, followed by the indignation he had looked for earlier.

"… You told her. You told her about me, about... us, just how much you told her?" She felt suddenly embarrassed, as if she had been naked in front of a crowd.

"Everything."

"Is this your way of telling me you are not helping me anymore?"

"You can go to Professor McGonagall for help; it is her job as your Head of House after all."

"What about the pills? What about the meals? Are you cancelling those too?"

"No, you will continue to receive both of them" There was a pause in which the girl attempted to speak "in your room."

"… You don't want me to come back." She took a deep breath and looked at the floor "I understand… I hope- I hope you get better soon." She didn't raise her head, which made it easier for him as well; with this everything would go back to normal.

Hermione had left the dungeons trying to suppress the storm that was threatening to begin inside her, now that she was not having extra potions lessons she would have plenty of time to regret her decisions and whine about them later. That is what she kept repeating to herself, but it was definitely getting into her nerves, she had made every possible mistake in arithmancy, her brain seemed to have forgotten how to sum up. It got worse during herbology, when it was her time to cast a simple severing charm to stun a venomous tentacula and she realized her wand was nowhere to be found.

"Go ahead, Miss Granger, if you don't move quickly it could easily strangle you." She was quite aware of it, so the advice from Professor Sprout only increased her frustration. The woman said this and continued walking, considering Hermione to be perfectly capable of managing a simple severing charm, the problem was she was nothing without her wand.

"Harry, Harry, I know you are really busy, but may I borrow your wand for only a minute?" The boy was currently using his wand to stun his own plant, threatening with grasping his arm.

"Right now, Hermione? I am a bit busy."

"Maybe I could-" She didn't have to, there was a flash of light and both tentaculas were completely deedless. Hermione raised her head to see Neville smiling from the other extreme; she waved in her direction, anyone who said that he was clumsy and unqualified for a job would be a complete idiot; Snape being an example. Harry nodded at him and Neville returned to work.

"What happened to your wand?" Harry placed his own on the surface of the table, encouraging her to use it if she needed it again during classes.

"I can't find it."

"You lost your wand?" Harry stopped what he was doing to look at her with surprise. "How did you lose your wand? Don't you have it with you all the time?"

"I really don't know, I haven't used it since yesterday, it could be in my room, I guess."

"You better find it, Hermione, you already know how hard can be Hogwarts without a wand." He glanced at Ron, reminding her of his second year.

"I know, I know, this is our final class of today, then I will have till tomorrow's Charm class to find it, I must have left it on my desk or something." In that moment a tentacle moved again, just to be stunted by Hermione, looking rather shocked. "I will find it, I swear."

The problem was she didn't find it, when class was over she rushed to her room, and made a mess of it, she looked over every surface, behind every piece of furniture, inside every drawer and closet, the prefect's bathroom, the corridor, she asked every student in the common room but nothing. She was currently lying behind a sofa, making an effort to adjust her eyes to the dark when she heard a cough from behind.

"Hermione, Harry told me you lost your wand, the boys are looking for it around The Great Hall but I came here, because that is really suspicious of you and I am not buying it." The girl crawled back, with her hair completely disheveled and dust in her nose. "… Or maybe you did lose your wand."

"I don't know where it could be, I don't know where else to look, and I don't know what to do, please tell me I am not the first Hogwarts student to lose her wand."

"Ok, Hermione, calm down, I am sure it must be somewhere, ok? The wand chooses the wizard, so if anyone else tried to use yours he or she would most likely have problems and return it, besides you have not been to too many places, right? In the worst case you could get a new one."

"Oh for Merlin's sake" Hermione let go a groan and looked at the ceiling, then back at Ginny "I cannot inform of this to Professor McGonagall, why did this have to happen now?"

"Well… yes, it is pretty embarrassing, but I actually think informing of this to McGonagall would be a good idea, she could give you a spare wand or even allow you to visit Diagon Alley this weekend, we are going to Hogsmeade anyways."

"No, you don't understand, she…" Hermione silenced looking a few students around and lowered her voice "She knows."

"Does she already know about your lost wand? And well? What did she say?"

"No, she knows about the other thing, about me and my, hum, extra lessons with Snape." He was back to being only Snape. Ginny stood there frozen.

"Who told her? Was it him? Or someone else caught you two doing… something?" Both girls were whispering as low as they could but the paranoia was getting to Hermione.

"Listen, Ginny, I really don't feel like talking about this now, I'd rather focus on my wand and then I can think in how I ruined my relationship with Snape, ok?" Ginny wasn't sure if to look sad and hug her for comfort or if to smile and tease her for saying she was in some sort of relationship with the man.

"Of course, Mione, I will help you look around the common room, ok?" She decided for the comforting hug, they could talk about it when the current problem was fixed.

It was already three in the morning and Hermione couldn't sleep, Ron had insisted on lending her his wand and as a prefect he had inspected half of the castle looking for it, meanwhile she inspected the other half, Harry and Ginny questioned every student they could find inside their common room, but there was no use, the wand was lost.

What was worse, the pressure of having to inform of this to McGonagall was making her anxious and sick, her eyes were nailed to the ceiling thinking in how to tell her that in only two weeks she has already assaulted a professor twice, exploded a cauldron, drugged a fellow Gryffindor, shown a consistent failure in many of her classes, skipped countless others and lost her wand. She switched to her left and placed her eyes on the desk, holding a tray with an empty cup and part of a sandwich. The food was still as delicious as ever, but it was clearly not the same, there was no note or colors, it actually reminded her of the lunch from her old muggle school. She really messed up, of course he would freak out and do this; she was just a silly girl fancying a man, he had no time to lose playing around with a kid, as he had called her once before.

She messed up.

She fell asleep thinking in how bad she had ruined everything, and in the slight pain of her body, more present than ever in her current position.

The next day, she had attended most of her classes without major inconvenience, wands had not really been necessary so far, at least till now, there was no way Professor Flitwick would not notice its absence during Charms' class.

"I can still lend you my wand if he asks you to cast a spell." Ron offered his wand to Hermione, who was nervously looking at the short man lecture a Huflepuff for the bad state of her wand, something about scratches, oh dear.

"Thank you, Ron, I hope Professor Flitwick understands."

"Understand what, Miss Granger?" The girl startled, just how fast did he move to get next to her so quick.

"I'll be practicing today's spell with Ron's wand, sir, that is all."

"And why would you be doing that?"

"I…" She looked at Ron for reinsurance and then back to the man "I've lost my wand, sir, but I am looking for it already."

"You lost your wand?" the man was shocked, no, horrified, losing her wand seemed like a capital sin for him. "But how? Here at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I lost it in here, I am sure I must have left it somewhere and forgotten it, but don't worry, I will find it."

"Hmph" The Charms teacher buffed, disappointed on her behavior and attitude towards her wand, the most important belonging for every wizard and witch. "You sure are forgetful lately, aren't you, Miss Granger?" The girl felt embarrassed, aware of his disapproval… and then it hit her, her brows furrowed and she talked to herself.

"Yes… I have been really forgetful lately, haven't I?"

"Yes, I've just said that." The man was still standing next to her and the other boys, who were looking baffled at the girl, completely immersed in her thoughts. Then, she suddenly blinked and smiled.

"I think I just remembered where my wand is, sir. I will go get it after classes." Flitwick smiled back at her and they continued with the lesson.

In spite of Ron's wand being heavier than hers, making her spellings clumsy and rough, and in spite of her unusually terrible aim, her face held a permanent expression of complete concentration and focus, as she silently developed her plan, scheming and designing it step by step.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thank you so much for nice reviews and the support.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 15:**

Ginny was walking upstairs to meet Hermione. Harry had previously told her she wanted to ask her for her wand to use it during the second period, as she was going to practice quidditch during her free time. It made sense, and she could use the time to ask her about Snape, and invite her to Hogsmeade, just the two of them, to have a nice time and forget about everything. Forget.

It just took two knocks on the door for it to be immediately opened; Hermione had tied her head up in a messy pony tail and was wearing her muggles clothes, a light pink jumper that seemed particularly comfortable together with jeans and plimsolls. She took Ginny by her wrist and pulled her in the bedroom, biting one of her nails.

"Are you continuing skipping classes? Is this because of your wand?"

"Yes and no, I need you to lend me your wand till tomorrow morning."

"All day? Why?" She saw as Hermione placed both hands on her waist and breathed deeply, like preparing to say something important "I mean, I am not having classes so I actually think I can, but I don't understand what you would need it for if you clearly are not going to classes."

"I am about to do something insane." And she breathed out.

"… insane? What are you going to do now?"

"Alright, listen. Since yesterday I have been feeling really uncomfortable, some parts of my body are sore, especially my legs, back and neck, I didn't think much about it at the beginning; I thought it was because of the joke, but as my back was the most terrible I decided to look myself in the mirror and…" she turned around and held her jumper and T-shirt up, just in the lower part of it and up her buttocks there was a purplish bruise. "I have no memory of hurting myself, not even when the powder hit me in the face, which could only explain the pain of my neck."

"Oh God, Hermione, that looks really bad, no question it hurts."

"That is not all, do you remember you told me you knocked on my door several times yesterday and I didn't answer?"

"Well, yes."

"I see absolutely no reason for that, I was just asleep, I should've heard you, especially when you almost threw my door down."

"Sorry for that."

"And-and-!" She had started to hyperventilate and walk nervously around the room in front of Ginny "And my wand! I've never lost it, not even when we were running from one extreme of Europe to the other! And Snape! I remember seeing his face in the Great Hall, so afraid, I am sure I would've crawled myself to his door to help him, I would've not simply come back here, it made no sense!" She suddenly stopped moving and hit her hands in a fist "And then it hit me! I don't know why I didn't notice it before, it was so obvious…"

"I am sorry, Hermione, I am not following anything you are saying, are you expecting me to complete the sentence or-?"

"He had already obliviated Neville, don't you see? It is clear not an issue for him." And then Ginny understood, her brows rose in surprise and her mouth drew a perfect O.

"You think Snape erased your memory."

"That would explain everything, the pain, his absolutely off attitude, my missing wand… He is not angry because of what I told him, he is-" She battled looking for an adjective to describe the unknown feeling she assumed the man to have "- He is like that because of whatever happened between us yesterday morning."

"You have to tell McGonagall! He can't go around school hurting students and erasing their memories!" Ginny's face had gone red because of the anger, she was never a fan of Snape, but she had come to like him after seeing her friend so happy around him, just to find out the truth behind.

"I think McGonagall already knows."

"What?"

"You saw her coming out his office, didn't you? You said he was acting as a child scolded by his mother… I believe he told McGonagall about it because it was too big of a mess for him to solve it alone, and they both, together, decided it was better to obliviate me."

"But… what could've possibly happened for a Headmistress to obliviate her own student? If the ministry finds out…"

"Well… I am physically hurt, maybe he did drink the potion and contrary to your beliefs his first instinct was not to ravish me against his desk, but to beat the heck out of me, I am only assuming I tried to protect myself with my wand, but he was clearly stronger, and I ended up disarmed and unconscious." Ginny stepped back and let herself fall on the bed. There was silence as the redhead looked at her friend unsure of what to say, if it was her, she would go to his office right away and demand to know the truth, but Hermione was not like that.

"What are you planning?"

"It is clear that if I confront him he will deny everything, so that was never an option. No. I know he keeps the memories he obliviates, I've seen him keeping Neville's inside a flask. So, I am sure that somewhere in this castle… is my memory. I just need to find where."

"But what about your wand? Now you will have two things to find." The girl shook her head.

"I already know where my wand is; somewhere inside his office, he has absolutely no reason to hide my wand from me. He probably doesn't even know I lost it."

"So you will you go and ask him if he had happened to see your wand?" Hermione chuckled and went to her bag on her bed.

"Of course not, he doesn't want me anywhere around him, no… I am planning to use this." From the inside of her bag appeared a cloak, which Ginny immediately recognized as Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Harry lent you it? Are you planning to sneak inside Snape's office?"

"I have to say, Ginny, I have the slight suspicion I will have to sneak not only in his office, but his private quarters." Hermione wasn't sure why, but she couldn't avoid an almost hysterical smile in her face, as if this was the most exciting experience of her life, she didn't care about the danger or the possible consequences of it, she was getting her memories back.

"Hermione Jean Granger! Are you out of your mind?! If Snape finds you in his quarters he is going to go completely nuts!"

"I know, I know, that is why I am telling you all of this, if he finds me he will more surely rather tell on me with Professor McGonagall or obliviate me once more, so if the last happens… I am counting with you to tell me about my memories again."

"Of course I will, Mione, but…" Ginny looked at the cloak, looking for a way to talk some sense into her friend, who was clearly about to endanger herself in so many ways. "It just sounds insane."

"Listen, Ginny, I've been living almost the last three weeks afraid of losing control at any minute. Now, I have the chance to take control over at least a little piece of something: my own memories. I don't care if they are painful, I don't care if they traumatize me for the rest of my life, I have already been tortured by Death Eaters, what could be possible worse than that? Honestly, I would've forgiven anything he could've done to me… but obliviating me." She had gone from feeling euphoric to an utterly pit of anger. "How dares he take my memories? No, them, McGonagall involved, I fought in a war! I was petrified, asphyxiated, burnt and tortured! I can handle whatever is in that memory, they had no right!"

"Easy, Hermione, easy!" Ginny had moved closer to her and was currently calming her with both hands. "I understand, you want your memories back, you deserve them, and you are going to sneak inside Snape's office… but could you at least tell me your plan so I can at least be a bit more secure about it?"

"Oh… sure" the girl ran a hand over her hair, accommodating some locks that had fallen free from the ponytail. "I told Harry I needed some extra ingredients for my veritaserum potion, because I messed up the first one, so he lent me his cloak… I will use it, together with your wand to enter Snape's office while he is in classes." Ginny nodded, understanding the plan so far "Then, I will look for my wand, I am sure it must be somewhere inside, just not exactly where… once I have found my wand I will start looking for the place where he keeps the memories he takes away, he did it as it was another day in the park with Neville so I am sure there must be plenty of them and a place specifically prepared for that. Though, I am almost sure he does not have it in his office, as it is rather a semi public space… no, they must be inside his personal bedroom. I know one of the walls must lead to it, but if it is as Remus said I will need his wand, so I-" Till this moment, the girl had explained all of it while walking in circles in the middle of the room, complete focused in the steps and not at all in her environment.

"Remus told you what?" Hermione froze and looked at Ginny, saving silence for a few seconds, as looking for a reasonable explanation.

"Oh that, it's nothing. I just asked him once where the teachers sleep, and he said that… well, it is somewhere else in the castle but they can access it through the office by using their wand." As Ginny stayed staring at her with much confusion, she added "What? You never wondered where do teachers sleep in the castle?"

"Why would I do that?"

"… Because it is a fascinating fact about Hogwarts?" She stated this as if it was pretty obvious. She could just not have enough fun facts about the especial tricks of the school. "Nevermind, let's move on. So… I will wait for him to come back from classes, and till he goes to sleep, I will just have to move quick enough to enter his room after him before the door closes."

"You are completely bonkers, what if you trip and fall over him or he hears you or so many other things that could go wrong?"

"I will tell him I found my wand in his office and-" she imitated the most naïve and innocent voice she could manage while playing with her hair "I am so, so sorry, professor Snape, I was looking for my wand, and I found it here, I really, really, really don't know when it happened."

"You sound like you are flirting."

"I AM NOT FLIRTING! I am mad!"

"Oh, I know you are mad, but I don't know if he will notice it if you move your hair and leg like that… maybe you should just tell him you found the wand, no especial tones… unless flirting is part of your plan."

"IT IS NOT! Ok, I will just tell him I found my wand, that will most surely get him confused and paranoid for a few seconds, enough time to leave and try again some other day."

"Try again? That is if he doesn't give you detention for the rest of your seventh year."

"Oh, he will not. I am sure he will start avoiding me like the plague, telling me about detention and checking that I am fulfilling it would be too much attention." She paused and smiled at Ginny "After entering his quarters I will just wait for him to fall asleep, stupefy him just to make sure, find my memories and use his wand to get out. So… what do you think?"

"I think this is by far the worst plan I have ever heard, I don't know how you even managed to escape Gringotts, and I think you should start packing your things because if Snape catches you he is gonna kick you out the castle before morning… and I also think you have to do it anyways because you are Hermione Granger and you are gonna make it work." Ginny smiled back at Hermione and offered her her wand. "I will wait for you in the common room, even if I have to sleep on the sofa, so make sure to come back tonight… if you don't I will go tell Professor McGonagall Snape has made you prisoner in his room."

"Don't tell her that! It sounds awful!"

"That is the idea, that way she would run to rescue you."

"I will need no rescue, Ginny, even if Snape catches me he will not hold me prisoner in his room… right?" The redhead shrugged in her place, indicating she actually believed it to be highly possible. But even so Hermione reached for her wand and placed it in her back pocket. "I think it is almost time, I will make sure to come back as soon as I can, and when I do… I will need you, because being honest; I am scared to death."

"And then we can go to Hogsmeade and relax, you really need it, Herms!" The girl gave her a brief hug and left the place, leaving Hermione to continue preparing for the plan.

It was time, indeed. Snape should be already in classes and Hermione was piercing the office's door with her eyes, she was already covered by the invisibility cloak and feared for any intrusion in the corridor, so she just breathed in, counted to three and pointed Ginny's wand to the lock.

"Alohomora" Nothing happened, but it was expected, such a simple charm could not protect a professor's office. She actually condemned its use in the door leading to Fluffy during their first year. "Revelio" She tried again with a second charm, this time a second lock appeared in the exact opposite of the door, she decided to try a final time and pointed her wand at it, praying for it to work "Alohomora", the clank she was hoping to hear sounded and she looked both sides before pushing the door open and finding her way in the fastest she could.

Just as she expected there was no one inside. She closed the door and used the wand to light every candle, she was going to need as much as light as possible to find her own wand.

"Accio wand" Nothing happened again, and she felt her heart race, what If she was all wrong and just imagining things. "Accio wand!" Still nothing, her mind running free trying to think in something… till she heard it, a rattle sound, something was moving inside the office. She started looking for its source, moving in her knees and hands, still covered by the cloak, she found the rattling to come from under the desk. There, and stuck behind the wooden support was her wand, attempting to move but being held by a wall of wood. "Lucky me" The girl took it and stared at it for several minutes in her hands, it meant so much; she had indeed been there that morning, she had used her wand, but she had lost it, probably disarmed, she peeked around, analyzing the place, looking for any hint of fight, but there was none.

Finally, she stood up slowly, keeping Ginny's wand in her back pocket and her own in her hand. "Accio memories!" Again, nothing happened, but this was not surprise, she wasn't even sure this could work. She moved behind the desk, her main suspicions of the room remained in there. The Gryffindor opened every single drawer, finding multiple and different potions, filters, ingredients, papers and letters. She considered the last ones to be extremely intriguing; looking at the door and back to them several times, the man wouldn't know, she just wished to know who could write so many letters to him. Perhaps a secret lover or an old friend... Snape had already invaded her privacy, and she had a long time before being able to continue with her plan. The girl finally decided to take one to find simply the initials "A. D.", immediately thinking in the former Headmaster she reached for another one, only to find the same. All of them, all of the letters were rather from or to A. D.; A complete drawer full of them. "Why do you keep all of these?" She decided the letters to be off limits and returned them all before inspecting every cupboard and bookcase looking for her memories.

It had been more than four hours, and her main reason to be there was still nowhere to be seen; However, she had made other discoveries, buried deep down or hidden at the top of some of the bookcases there were some interesting books she would have never imagined to man to possess, nor potions nor dark arts related; adventure, mystery, drama and even romance. She had decided for one titled ' _The danger of falling'_ as it looked short enough to be read before the man could return; as she advanced in the story she found herself more fascinated not by the predictable but engaging plot, but for the reasons of the man to read it. She liked it, but she couldn't picture the man sympathizing with the young and naïve protagonist and her fight to prove herself worth of living during the witch hunting years while also fighting her love for a barbarian hunter. The girl was only ten pages to the end when she heard it; a clank. The book flew back to its place and she covered herself once more with the cloak, frozen in a corner behind the desk, all the lights off, waiting for the man to come in.

Hermione suppressed a gasp as the Potions Master stalked inside, lighted half the candles only and sat heavily at his desk. He looked crushed, a buff escaped his mouth and his head rested in one palm. The girl had time enough to stare at every line of his face, and count every hair out of place before he finally moved to invoke a bunch of parchments and started to check them. She wondered if he had noticed her absence during classes, probably relieved by it; he was pretty clear about not wanting her around.

Her legs, aching from before, started to feel tired as the time went by, and feared for the sleeping hours of the man, based on his physical aspect he was clear to have terrible habits; what if he went to sleep at three am? She would definitely pass out before that. Then, out of nowhere the man let go a grunt, and reclined on his chair, startling and waking her up. Out of breath Hermione saw as the man opened the drawer from before, the one full of letters and touched it with the top of his wand.

"30th March, 1998." That was all he said and from the mess of letters one levitated to his hand. Hermione's eyes traveled with it and vainly tried to control her curiosity as she walked slowly closer to the man, attempting to read something, anything, the expression of his face was worth the risk of knowing who this A. D. was.

' _They've got her, Albus._

 _They've got all of them, knight included. I am terrible at this without you, I never won, never could, never will. I never learnt how to play properly, you never feared to sacrifice a couple pawns, not even your bishop, but I could not. You constantly repeated that was my mistake, that I had to learn to let go as if that piece of wood was some representation of my past. It never was._

 _They've got all of them, but she is in the edge, the other queen got her and she will have no mercy._

 _What can I do? The king would've fallen one million times already without her, she is the most important piece._

 _They've got her, Albus, but I can do nothing for I am only a pawn and she is the queen._

…'

Hermione couldn't continue reading as the man threw the letter face down on the desk and pressed the bridge of his nose, clearly upset. She stepped back to the corner where she was before and forced her memory to the date… Malfoy Manor. It was a clear analogy for a chess game, had he intended to hide the message fearing for another Death Eater to find it? Dumbledore was already dead, why would he write a letter for him? Her mind traveled back to first year, when she played as a castle, there were none in his letter, but she was sure to have been there, how to forget her marvelous experience with Bellatrix? And then she realized she was the queen.

Unsure of where to look, if to the drawer full of letters to wonder in how many of them she was part of a metaphor, or if to the distress in his face, she decided to stare at her own feet, feeling all her wrath and anger melt, warming the permanent cold air of the office.

The Potions Master sent the letter back with a sharp movement and stood up to move to the closest wall, the girl recognized this as the moment and breathed in to move closer. His wand rattled against the bricks as a door appeared to replace them. It opened with a heavy sound as he pushed it open to its complete extension, allowing Hermione to go in right behind him.

The room was bigger than hers and separated into two spaces, one that looked similar to a living room, including a fireplace and some pieces of furniture. On the other extreme there was his bed, quite a big bed only for him, as Hermione considered it to look quite comfortable. She liked it, the whole place felt cozy, though it would be better with the fireplace on. After her first curious impulse, she started to look for any suitable place to store memories, there was a small bookcase next to the fireplace, but it was fully stocked with books, leaving the closet and the bureau.

The girl covered her mouth as a gasp escaped her. She was so focused inspecting the room that didn't notice the man had left his cloak hanging in a perch and was half done unbuttoning his robe. Her face turned redder with every new part of his white shirt under, as she awkwardly tried not to stare. A few agonizing minutes later the robe was carefully folded on a chair in the end of his bed as Hermione wondered just how many buttons could he wear, his shirt being next. However, instead of continuing with it, he sat on the edge of his bed and placed his wand on the bedside table, this kept her eyes busy as he undid his boots.

' _This was not part of my plan'; 'I have to remember to omit this with Ginny', 'I wonder what sort of pajamas he wears'_ She almost chocked when her train of thoughts crushed against the question ' _what if he doesn't wear anything? Who cares, he is getting naked anyways! Just face the other wall, Hermione!'_ But just when she decided to turn around, the man simply stood, opened his closet to take a towel and went inside a small door in front of him. Hermione stayed there, frozen, when she heard the water rain, he was taking a shower.

Finally, she breathed and after some consideration decided this was her chance, she could find her memories, take the wand from the bedside table and leave, all of this with the man still inside, she just had to be careful to listen the water, the moment it stopped pouring, she would retreat back to a corner.

As the closet seemed to shelter his cloaks and robes, she decided for the bureau. It was perfectly organized so it was easy for her to ignore the spaces assigned to hold his personal belongings, and focus on the drawers; she opened the first one to find some bottles of liquor, what a strange place to keep them, she was careful to close it slowly as they were likely to make some sound. The second one, however, made her eyes glitter, it had neat rows of small flasks, gulping to realize she had found them; every one held a memory. The one problem was there were far too many.

She reached for one of the flasks to her left, and mentally read the label ' _Snape,S. 03/09/65',_ she returned and took the one two lines over it, only to find once again the Potions Master's name. Actually, most of the memories had it, which made her feel relieved, for her had thought the man to have obliviated half of the school. She started to move to the right extreme, realizing they were in a chronological order, and worried to notice that many of the memories from his year as Headmaster were from current students, but only that year. Next to it there were just a few left, keeping space to at least thirty more. Her hands were trembling when her eyes read her own name _'Granger, H. 26/10/98'_ , she was right all along, inside of it was the real reason for the man to push her away, together with the explanation for her sore neck. Scared the man could notice its absence she run the top of her wand over the flask she assumed to be Neville's and placed her own in the front pocket of her jeans. She was so close to leave when the drawer got stuck, leaving it open would be suicide, she fought to close it without a sound but it was useless… there was a creak which echoed in the room and it finally shut.

Paralyzed with her eyes wide open in the middle of the room, she watched the door to the bathroom expecting it to open with a slam. But nothing happened; the water was still running inside. Maybe he didn't hear it under the pouring water. Hermione finally felt her legs again and made her way to the nighstand, she was close to grab his wand, when a crazy idea crossed her mind. This was a life time chance to try Snape's bed. It was, after all, less than thirsty inches away.

Her eyes traveled to the door and back to the bed, letting the wand in its original place the girl sat on the edge. It felt amazing, and though she knew it was not because of the bed itself, but because of the adrenaline running through her veins, she considered herself the luckiest girl; just how many others could claim to have lied on the Potions Master's bed? So she did, her head on the pillow, breathing in the scent of herbs and cedar, her hands all over her head, still holding her own wand, with a completely relaxed and triumphant expression in her face and her eyes shut, it felt as she could easily fall asleep. Not like anyone could see her anyways, she was still covered by the cloak.

Till the light. She only had time enough to open her eyes and see it by the corner of them before it hit her, her muscles stopped responding; there she was, literally petrified, waiting for hell to be unleashed, as Snape pointed at her with his wand, soaking wet, but the water still running.

 **Wow, I feel like this chapter came out a bit too dense.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 16:**

Snape couldn't believe it. He had heard the creak from inside the bathroom and hurried to get dressed, fearing for an intruder in his private quarters, but not risking exposing himself nude. Worrying to scare the uninvited person away before catching them, he had carefully opened the door looking for any visitor; but there was no one. Till he noticed the strange figure carved in his bed, it was unnatural, like something invisible was lying on its surface… Potter.

He grabbed his wand from the nightstand in a quick movement and mentally yelled ' _Petrificus totalus'_. The man stood in front of the paralyzed form, wondering just for how long the damn boy would hold that stupid cloak as he considered taking it away and burning it himself. Just what the heck could he be doing in there, did he still resent him?

Snape reached for the piece of cloth he was positive to be there, with his eyes glittering in fury; he was going to make sure the boy learn to stop messing around him. He uncovered the unwelcome spy with a brutish movement only to find Hermione Granger lying on his bed, with a terrified expression.

The floor seemed to crumble at his feet, as he suddenly had an urge to sit down, just what on earth was happening? The man managed to stay still, looking around him in confusion, what was she possibly doing there? Perhaps Potter was near, about to knock him unconscious, or perhaps some of the Weasleys were about to throw themselves in a rescue attempt. He waited with his eyes circling the place expecting for anything to happen, but it did not.

Having decided his only problem was in front of him, ' _and what a problem'_ he told himself, he focused his eyes on her and tried to remain calm, recalling the steps for the procedure. First, eradicate the threat. He doubted if to use an invocation spell as her wand was trapped inside her hand, making impossible for it to fly off; he finally let go a sigh and bent over to reach for her wand. He noticed the girl fighting to say something or move beneath him, together with the realization of his half naked torso, covered only by a soaking wet and therefore slightly transparent, half buttoned shirt.

"I am requisitioning your wand." The words were supposed to calm her down, as he had assumed the girl to fear for his closeness to have other intentions. A few drops of water fell over her face before he finally reincorporated, but continued to stare at her body. He took a few seconds only to picture how a bizarre view this was, Hermione Granger; the top student, admired and desired for many others, lying on his bed, presumably by her own volition. Presumably, because he didn't force her anyway in, but the expression of terror in her face was quite unsettling. If McGonagall or anyone else was to see this scene he would have no way or chance to excuse himself, ' _she got herself in my bed, Minerva, I just happened to find and petrify her stepping out the shower, I swear_ ", no, that wouldn't do. After visually scanning her body the man realized that there were no signs of other weapon and with a deep and heavy sigh he took the spell off "finite".

The girl immediately stood up, and pressed herself against the nightstand. Not wanting to enrage more the man, she had decided to try to excuse herself and if it didn't work she always could try to escape with Ginny's wand.

"I can explain!" her breath was irregular, hyperventilating for the fear.

"Raise your hands" The girl stopped squirming and obeyed, with her mouth still open as she was interrupted "Take off your jumper and throw it to me."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Take off your jumper and throw it to me." The girl didn't move, unsure of the reason for the instruction. "Now!" Her hands went down to fulfill his command as the man seemed beyond furious, when it was finally out her head she threw it to him, who caught it in the air and inspected it with his sight and touch, only to throw it over the bed as the girl nervously glared at him with her hands back in the air.

"I can explain, I came here to-" She was interrupted once again.

"Lift your shirt." Her eyes opened wide and for some reason she couldn't help a nervous smile to appear in her face, like the man was just playing around or this was some funny joke.

"Oh no, you cannot be possibly asking me that."

"Do it before I frisk you myself." He noticed the amused expression of her face "I will not be gentle, as I consider this a serious violation to my privacy."

"You cannot ask me to undress in front of you." Realizing the man was dead serious about it; her expression went to complete indignation. "You are a professor." This insulted him, as he should be reminded of his position.

"OH! I cannot ask you to lift your shirt? Excuse me, just when were you planning to remove yourself from my bed, Miss Granger? Before or after me stepping out of that door naked?" her face went completely red, she was caught in the act.

"I-I- well, Of course I was going to, I-just-" The girl just couldn't stop stuttering, finally she nodded and raised her shirt, just enough for her belly to be seen, her only hope was to be swallowed by the earth. "You happy?"

"Overjoyed, turn around" At this point Hermione was certain of something; if Professor Snape had a super power it was most surely to embarrass and humiliate others, what was coming next? Kneel and beg for forgiveness? She sighed and turned around, aware she had brought this to herself. Her insecurities began to rise with every passing second, self conscious of her body, just what was the man staring at? Oh… the bruise, perhaps he was taking his time to let the guilt sink. Had that been on purpose? Was he looking to check on her health? Then there was a sudden pinch in her right buttock that made her jump, her heart fluttered and her face was the color of Ron's hair.

"HEY!" She turned around, completely outraged; did he just touch her ass? That had been completely out of place. At least that's what she thought till she noticed Ginny's wand in his left hand, together with her own. He had just pulled it out. "Can I speak now or you also want my pants?"

"Don't provoke me." Though she was getting more and more upset, the way he grunted those words made her shiver. After much consideration, he decided the girl no longer meant a threat and allowed her to speak, with his wand still up. "Let's hear that explanation." She took a deep breath and remembered Ginny's advice; not to make any weird tone or to touch her hair; she was almost half naked and in no need to confuse the man with flirting tones.

"I lost my wand, and I came looking for it, you can ask any professor as they have been informed of its loss since yesterday." He faked a much surprised expression.

"And you happened to find it under my pillow, what a coincidence, now I see why you came here."

"Oh no, I- I actually found it in your office, funny because I have not been there since two days ago." With this she attempted to intimidate the man, but it was actually not even close.

"If you found it in my office… mind telling me your reasons to get in my bed?"

"Actually, I was ON your bed, not been in your bed yet," She gulped, suddenly realizing what Ginny meant by flirting "Sir." The man narrowed his eyes, at what point did he lose his authority? Perhaps it was his wet hair or the lack of his robes.

"I am this close to drag you to McGonagall and ask for your expulsion, your last chance and don't you lie to me: how and why did you get in my bedroom?"

"… I used Ginny's wand to enter your office while you were in classes, for I know you hate me and would not allow me in, I used Harry's cloak because if you found me you would kick me out, perhaps before finding my wand, none of them know the real reason to borrow their things, please, don't punish them, it was all my doing." Her arms were starting to hurt because of the extensive period of time holding them in the air. "I already had my wand when I saw you getting in your room, I ahm- I had never seen a teacher enter their hum private chambers so I… I just felt curious." She was positive Dumbledore would've praised her curiosity, but McGonagall… images of her expulsion started to fill her mind. And then, she thought ' _Oh, what the heck, I am most likely already out the castle_ ' and added "You have also been to my room without my permission, at least I didn't take your shoes off." Oh, that was effective. The man lowered his wand for a fraction of minute, just to raise it back immediately. He recalled the night he had taken the unconscious girl back to her room and placed her in her bed. How the tables have turned, but he wouldn't allow his face to show this.

"What spells have you used?" Hermione blinked, as she was expecting for the man to lunge against her with fury for her insolence. But instead of that he had changed the topic.

"I… I used alohomora and revelio in your office's door, that's all. Can I lower my hands now? It is cold and I have no other wand, I swear." The man nodded and she hugged herself, feeling her arms freezing and sore. Great, another part of her body to the list of pain.

"Are you sure you have not used any other spell with your or Weasley's wand inside my office or here?" The girl shook her head staring at the floor. She had already had enough and only wanted to get to her common room, to pack and say good bye before getting in the train back home. "One final question, look at me." The man tried to regain his usual calm posture and lowered his wand; the girl already seemed to have learnt the lesson. "Have you ever sneaked in here before?"

"This is the first time."

He allowed himself a moment of weakness and placed both students' wands in his back pocket to caress his temple. He was already freezing, still wet, with his shirt still half buttoned and so tired. Couldn't he just get a simple life at Hogwarts? Flitwick has most surely never been through something like this. Just a break from plotting, hiding and over analyzing, that's all he wanted. But it was not possible since he had to make the decision: notify or not of this to McGonagall. The woman was surely to have been keeping a close eye on him, not mattering how hard he had been avoiding their conversation about his bloody feelings; furthermore, if he let her go and the woman managed to know somehow of her presence in his private chambers… he would rather go to Azkaban. It would be much simple with Dumbledore, the old man would just come to any ridiculous conclusion, approach him with subtle insinuations and give him pieces of advice upon his imaginary outcomes, such as ' _take things slow'_ , ' _so mature but still a student for other eight months_ ', ' _Young women need some space sometimes'_. Meanwhile, McGonagall was certain to lecture him for ever on proper behavior around little girls.

"… Professor?" he was snapped back to reality by her soft voice, she was clearly uncomfortable, not only because of the chill air, but because he had been spacing out in her direction. Oh, this was great, the girl was just gathering fantastic phrases to defend herself and distract McGonagall's attention from her clear transgression ' _He constantly stares at my body'_ , ' _Petrified on his bed'_ , ' _He asked me to undress for him_ ', ' _threatened to frisk me'_ , and he could go on and on, making the decision of dragging her to McGonagall's office harder with every thought. "Are you taking me to Professor McGonagall or… maybe we could try fixing this in some other way?"

"And how do you suggest we fix this, Miss Granger?" Completely out of ideas, he was genuinely interested in any other solution that didn't involve McGonagall in them.

"I… I don't know; maybe we could just forget this ever happened, no, wait!" Oh no, no, no, no, the last thing she wanted was to give him the idea of obliviating her once more. "Or maybe I could do something for you, so you forgive me... sir." She said the last with a naïve smile, nothing else was working, and thus she had decided to ignore Ginny's advice and stitch to her original plan, including the hair and innocent voice, which came out not innocent at all. ' _Oh, now I hear it, wonder if he heard it too'_ "There must be something I can do."

He must have misunderstood her tone; the girl could not be implying what crossed his mind. No, it must have been his imagination, years as a Death Eater had taken every inch of innocence in him and now he was simply unable to identify it properly. Her false tone echoed in his ears as it reminded him of other women begging for mercy disguised as indecent proposals.

"I would do anything to stay here in Hogwarts." The girl had managed to get some composure and was currently standing completely upright and in a bold attitude.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Well…" The Potions Master walked straight to her, mind already made up. "I believe we can arrange something for that matter." The expression of her face went from decisiveness to utter confusion. She was actually not expecting her offer to be taken, overwhelmed by the question ' _Lord, what if he thought I was flirting with him?_ ', her muscles tensed when the man walked in her direction with a rather mischievous look, stopping a few inches away, only to point at the closest wall, next to the bathroom's door. "Forehead and hands on the wall till I tell you otherwise."

Her eyes traveled from the man to the wall and back to him, unsure if to obey. She shook her distrust away, he was a professor, and he wouldn't dare do anything to her without consent ' _Though I may have already granted it'_. Finally deciding to move, she placed her forehead on the wall, and one hand either side. She waited for the next instruction, for the man to do something, for anything to happen, but it was taking forever. The view and feeling of the stone against her skin made her remember the vivid fantasies she had after chocking with the piece of apple, one of them actually similar to the current setting; Snape being in complete control of her, torturing in pleasant ways, though that was clearly not happening now, especially because the man was nowhere to be seen or felt. She could hear him roaming around behind her, moving stuff, the sound of fabric, then the water finally stopped running, what on earth was he doing?

"Sir?" She was growing nervous, trying to regain the bold attitude from minutes before while attempting to not stutter. "Professor?"

"Watch out." Her immediate reflex was to turn around, ignoring his previous warning; she did it just in time to get her jumper right to her face. The girl quickly took it away and looked at the man fully clothed and dry. "We are paying McGonagall a visit, I suggest you dress properly."

"Bu-bu-but I thought- you told me- I thought you were…" She couldn't recall stuttering so much in her life. Snape just watched her foolish attempt to speak, till she took a deep breath and was able to continue "I thought we had a deal."

"The deal, if that is how you want to call it, is still on. I will escort you to McGonagall's office and you will confess what you did, involving nobody else as you claimed this to be your and your plan only, and in exchange I will to the best of my abilities stand by you and avoid your expulsion, though a couple of points may be taken."

"… You want me to portray you as a victim." Snape didn't move, he just stood with one hand on his side and the other one holding the invisibility cloak. "You are scared McGonagall finds out I was in here, that's why you asked me if I used any spell that could give me away, but I didn't, I swear I didn't."

"But I did, and I hold no interest in explaining her why I petrified a student without notification."

"… Fine, I'll do it. I can understand how hard it would be for you to explain it alone, especially after telling her about the private lessons." The man was about to head the door with a triumphant smile, but was stopped as the girl continued talking "But before I do it… I need to know, my reputation is at stake here too, you know? Did you also tell her about my hum… thoughts concerning you? Because if you did-"

"Irrelevant, any thought, fantasy, or opinion you hold of me under the potion's influence is irrelevant. No need to mention it." In spite of this being the answer she was hoping for, it felt cold, a confirmation of her insignificance for him.

"Thank you." What came next was the most awkward walk both of them had ever taken, with Hermione keeping a permanent and solid two steps behind at all time in complete silence, while making quite an effort since every step the man took meant three of her. Till they got to the entrance for the Headteacher's office; the potions teacher waited for her to reach him.

"Now, it is almost midnight, Professor McGonagall must be already asleep, and just as any other teacher she hates being awaken because of students misbehavior. I suggest you keep your excuses brief and concise; avoid unnecessary details and comments."

"Shall I omit the fact you petrified me on the bed or asked me to lift my shirt then?" Just as he did with every topic that made him uncomfortable, he pushed it away and simply ignored it.

"Black kittens." Hermione suppressed a giggle as she found the new password amusing but fitting for the current Headteacher.

The entrance moved and the stairs appeared, leading the path. For the moment they made their way into the office McGonagall had already been awaken and was currently entering the room from a distant door, wearing a rather casual and unusual robe and a concern expression.

"Severus? What is the matter?" The girl stepped aside from behind the potions master causing the Headmistress to change her expression into a surprised one. "Miss Granger."

"I apologize for the hour, Headmistress, but-" He paused to look at the girl and then added "Miss Granger here has something she would like to say."

"Is that so?" the girl had started shifting in her place, having second thoughts on what exactly to say. "And well, Miss Granger? What is it?" The woman tried to suppress her concern as she knew both of them together could mean no good.

"I… I lost my wand" She gave some seconds to the woman to recover herself from the shock of hearing such a disgrace "As you know I attended several –hum- meetings with Professor Snape to discuss my current… condition, so I thought I may have dropped it somewhere in his office, but he-" ' _He is acting as a real jerk'_ "He was clear to state he didn't want me anywhere near him" The Potions Master nodded at McGonagall, who answered with a look, acknowledging his efforts to keep the girl at distance. "So I -am- I sneaked in his office to find it."

"And…?"

"And I did. It was on the floor, I really don't know how it got there."

"Well, Miss Granger, that is a serious transgression, sneaking inside a teacher office, even if it is for-" The man coughed and caused the girl to startle and stare at the floor.

"That is not all." McGonagall couldn't avoid rolling her eyes, the last time someone wanted to add something it was criminal bad. "When I was about to leave, I saw Professor Snape entering his private quarters, I'd never seen them before, and I… I was curious, so I followed him."

"You followed him?" Now the attention was on him, demanding for him to say something and explain. However, he only handed the woman the invisibility cloak and both of the requisitioned wands.

"Miss Granger's spying abilities are not exclusively her merit, I believe you to be familiar with these objects." Taking the invisibility cloak, the woman left it on her desk as she analyzed both wands. "She claims to have acted with no hidden intentions beyond curiosity, which she is actually famous for, as she has proved herself unable to mind her own business through all these years." The idea of the nice man that had helped her was getting harder and harder to remember with every spoken word, bringing back the memories of his constant bullying instead.

"I believe it to be true, though I have to say I was expecting for that curiosity to be over by now." She inhaled deeply while piercing Hermione with disapproval, and then back to Snape "I offer you my apologies once again for Miss Granger behavior, and I hope you could forgive her in this opportunity, since as you have said she is quite known for her… curiosity, did she do anything out of place inside your chambers?"

"No, I caught her near the entrance, petrified." Hermione was close to snorting, she had managed to done quite more than that, but he was unable to accept a Gryffindor had deceived him.

"Then, I trust Miss Granger has already learnt her lesson" For this Hermione answered with an exacerbated nodding. "The cloak will remain with me, as I have to talk to Mister Potter about keeping his belongings well secured and used only for the right purposes, but here." The woman offered both wands to Hermione, who took them making an effort to smile with humility. "Miss Weasley will be in need of her wand for classes after all. You may leave." The girl looked up at the man, smiling as a thank you, he had played his part. She was still part of Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Professors" She bowed, her main concern still in her pocket. She was so close to get away with her real reason to sneak inside Snape's quarters. So close. "Good night." She turned around and was heading her way out, when she heard it.

"And Miss Granger!"

"Yes…?"

"Thirty points from Gryffindor for disrespecting a teacher's privacy." She would've happily given away one hundred.

"Understood, never again." And she left, begging for Ginny to still be in their common room.

Both teachers remained in silence as she left, and even after that. McGonagall just stared in silence at the man's face, like expecting for a delayed confession.

"I have to say I am surprised."

"Both of us, now, Minerva, there is something I'd like-"

"No, I am surprised by you; A student sneaked inside your private bedroom and you didn't drag her to my feet asking for an immediate expulsion, not even points taken, Severus? The students are right, you truly have changed." The man inhaled, couldn't she just drop it? Even a direct question would be better than her insinuations.

"… It is said a war can change a man."

"I believe you got it wrong; it is a woman who can change a man… or girl, as this seems the case."

"Implications and subtlety have never been your style, Minerva, if you want to say something, say it."

"Miss Granger appears to have grown close to you in only a few weeks, so close she even managed to follow you, an experienced double agent, without you noticing, didn't you happen to maybe look to the other side-"

"Why oh why Minerva I would like Miss Granger in my bed…room?"

"You tell me."

"As experienced as you grant me to be, she got me guards off, not really expecting a student to be interested in my quarters, AND if your assumptions were to be correct, I think I would know better than to reveal myself right away." The woman simply buffed, quite aware she didn't have half the same intuition as Dumbledore, but still suspecting on something odd. "Now… I am actually concerned about Miss Granger visiting my place; may I ask you to show me her wand's records? And the Weasley girl's as well."

"Didn't you say you caught her just near the entrance?"

"Just. In. Case." He smiled "I'd like to be sure." The woman stepped back while looking at him, took her wand out the left sleeve of her robe and pointed it to the desk, a parchment went flying in front of both and she slightly touched it with the top of her wand.

"Granger Hermione, 27th October." At the top of the parchment appeared the girl's name followed by only one word ' _Correctio_ '. "It seems Miss Granger has corrected something in your office, any idea what could it be?" Memories of Hermione profusely commenting on other students works came to his mind, together with several mistakes made by her two best friends on today's essays.

"Plenty, but nothing relevant, try with the Weasley girl."

"Weasley Ginny, 27th October." Just as before, the parchment was filled with the spells and charms casted by the girl during the day, and at the very bottom there was written _'alohomora', 'revelio', 'alohomora'_. "Nothing you didn't know, right, Severus?"

"… Wait. Something is off, track Granger's wand during the 26th." The woman stared at his face before indulging.

"Granger Hermione, 26th October." Nothing, the parchment came out completely blank, only her name was at the very top, but nothing else. "What is it, Severus?"

"I believed Granger to have opened my door yesterday morning, but she used alohomora twice today, the first one failed… she would've not used alohomora twice if she knew the trick for the fake lock from before." His expression was growing in anger and confusion as he stared at the empty parchment. "The hallway, look for every spell casted in that hallway yesterday morning."

"Third Hallway Dungeons, 26th October." The piece of parchment extended almost a meter long as several spells faded in, followed by names. "There!" McGonagall pointed with her finger at a spot a few inches down the beginning "Miss Silverian casted an alohomora spell several times."

"And Windery used revelio twice…" There were a few minutes while both teachers let the truth settle in the room.

"It appears Miss Granger was not the only student who followed you to the dungeons that morning."

"I will interrogate them tomorrow afternoon, after the students have gone to Hogsmeade."

"Do you think they could be behind such a potion?" Her voice projected concern, since both girls were not the most brilliant ones, but were also her students.

"No… they both are terrible in potions, they couldn't prepare an antidote to common poisons with their lives at stake. No, they must be working for someone else, and I will find out whom." For this moment the man was talking through his teeth, clenching in anger. "You realize how serious this is, don't you, Minerva?"

"I do, but I also recognize your tone, what do you have in mind?"

"Seventh year is preparing veritaserum… enough to restock my private shelves once I am done with both of them."

"Shall I remind you it is illegal to dose students with that potion?"

"Just as illegal as obliviating them… let me be clear, Minerva, I am getting the truth out of those brats with or without your blessing. If you decide my course of action to be beyond your ethics I invite you to inform of it to the ministry as I may as well be guilty of the murder of a minor or two for that moment." She placed one hand in the man's arm and the other in his chest, feeling its erratic pace.

"Calm down, Severus, we are together in this, we both want the same; the truth." She noticed the man slowly breathing and regaining his temper. "I must emphasize how important it is for you to pursue the truth while still in the light… however," she let go of him and her soft and sweet tone changed into a much harder one "Tomorrow is Saturday, so technically I will be in no obligation to keep an eye on you or your activities… I will be busy, personal matters."

The man gave her a final look before stepping aside and storming out the office "Don't let them out the castle! They may try to escape their fate…"

McGonagall stayed in the middle of the room, listening to his steps echo before shaking her head and returning to bed. The benefits of being the Headteacher were nothing compared to the responsibility, she wondered how Dumbledore managed to live such a long life under such amount of stress.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 17:**

Hermione faced the Fat Lady Portrait, who had no apprehension to comment her on how late it was and how she was going to get reported to Professor McGonagall.

"Don't bother yourself; she is quite aware I've been out of bed. May I come in now?"

The painting of the woman remained shocked as this was the first time ever for the girl to be impolite. Still baffled she opened the entrance for her, who went in looking for the red head, she found her staring longingly in her direction; after a few seconds of silence in which both of them seemed to be waiting for the other to move, Hermione burst into laughter, completely out of relief. She reached for the small flask on her pocket and held it up for Ginny to see.

"I found it."

The redhead stood up beaming and followed the brunette to her room. Once inside Ginny patted Hermione on the shoulder, shining a large grin.

"You crazy witch! You did it! How was it? Did you get into his quarters? How is his place?"

"Easy, Ginny, easy! Calm down! Well… first, I- I actually got caught, Harry's cloak was requisitioned, so… please get him into a nice mood before I tell him." Ginny's face went white.

"You got caught…? By Snape? But how-?" Hermione considered telling her friend about the incident with her being too curious about the man's bed, completely messing out the whole operation.

"How about I tell you the details tomorrow? It is already too late and I… I sort of would like to recover my memories." The girl remembered Ginny of them by shaking the flask in front of her.

"Oh, sure! Let's… let's sit you down, just in case." Hermione nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, with her stomach fluttering. She took both wands from her pocket and handed the borrowed one back to Ginny. Whilst the redhead stared at her with much attention sitting closely in a chair, the brunette opened the small flask and glared at its content. "You can do it, I am here." With a final nod she dragged the silver threat to her forehead and waited in silence with her eyes tightly closed.

There were no extreme or shocking images flowing through her mind as she had expected. No. Instead of that an explosive and sudden headache invaded her for a moment, with her brain struggling to discern the reality, just before the nauseas overwhelmed her filling her throat with a sense of bile, it stopped. Then, nothing. She tried to push herself back to that morning in the Great Hall, his face was just as afraid as it was before, and she continued to walk her steps over again, everything seemed the same, till there was no fall, no impact on her face, no sickness, and she saw the girls, their face were blurry, but slytherins, indeed.

"Hermione? Are you alright? Can you remember anything?"

"Girls, slytherins, two." The nauseas were slowly coming back and escalating, in a regretful decision she opened her eyes slightly causing the light to blind her and pinch her head once again; immediately closing them to continue revealing the path. "They ran away. Not important."

There was Snape's door and then complete darkness, the sense of fear at the sight of the man hurt and discomposed; how she reluctantly attempted to stop him. The girl had a feeling were this was going and worried for the memory to become physical at any moment, the man seemed furious at her and she prepared to remember the pain. Till she felt it, him. A strong arm around her waist, pushing her against the desk; her back, that would explain her back. Ginny immediately noticed the discomfort in her face, though unsure if it was because of the memory itself or because of the clear symptoms of getting them back.

"What is it? Did he hit you? Mione, did he hit you?" Ginny reached to touch Hermione's arms to bring her back to earth, but was immediately stopped by the girl who startled and pushed her away.

"No!" Ginny instantly retreated back to her seat, death worried for her friend who had suddenly gone out of breath. She had, indeed, for the reminiscence of the hands of the man invading her body and the slight bites on her neck; that would explain the neck's pain. She clenched both her hands around the blanket. She had got it all wrong, all the way wrong, every sore part of her had an entirely new meaning now. It was a strange feeling to remember it all together, as there was a mixture of warmth growing inside her together with a disgusting feeling of wrongness and guilt, it would have been so easy to stop him. Her hands let go of the blanket and rush to cover her mouth after a gasp escaped her for her weight being lifted and placed on the desk; scared for what she was positive was to happen she opened her eyes and tried to keep herself in balance as the room was never as bright and overwhelming. In spite of her face being already crimson, she couldn't avoid shrugging and feeling her ears turning red to the sight of Ginny staring at her.

"I-I… I need some time, alone." The redhead brows furrowed as she scrutinized Hermione's expression, something was off. "Please, Ginny, I need to be alone."

"What did he do to you?" Hermione couldn't recall her friend being more serious ever before, it crept the hell out of her.

"N-nothing, he did nothing, we just- we just-" her mind racing for an excuse, an answer, anything that could save her from the scene that Ginny would make after finding out. "I have some things to do, Ginny, please, I will explain it to you later." While her chest shook as a clear sign of hyperventilation, she wondered if that was how Neville felt every time Snape interrogated him, completely oblivious for a reasonable answer.

"… I understand. There are some things you have to do alone." Ginny let go a soft smile, rose from the chair in a calm motion and finally walked to the door, but before leaving she turned on her hills "Oh, Mione, I just remembered, real quick, we have to hand an essay to McGonagall first thing Monday morning, but I simply cannot understand this weird concept she half explained because of the last class being interrupted, do you think you could quickly explain it to me so I can finish it for Sunday? I will be in Hogsmeade all tomorrow day." Hermione was puzzled, Ginny had hardly ever asked for academic help before, so she considered it to be an issue important enough to at least be listened to.

"Su-sure, what is it?" Her brain was still overwhelmed by too much info, her old memories, the new ones, the bright room, the guilt, the warmth under her belly, and now Ginny wanted to practice a trivia.

"Great, you see, she was explaining this charm to transfigure a cat into a broom, thing that would be really useful for me, so my question about it is: Is Snape a gentle lover?"

"Not at all." That was an easy one, oh wait.

"That is what I thought. Good night, Hermione." She then dedicated her a mischievous grin and opened the door to leave, with Hermione's jaw open and staring at the closed door.

It took her around three minutes to fully understand what Ginny did, deciding it was no use worrying about one more thing, she resolved to finish her memories, just how far could they go? How far did she allow him to go? Shutting her eyes once more, his hands pulled her against him in a tough movement, continuing with rough caresses and thrusts, oh for Merlin, there were her legs, and she wondered how she was even able to walk straight. The memory of her orgasm growing inside her took her breath again, feeling it build up in real time. The shame, then she recalled the shame that motivated her to try stopping the man, but there was no use, he was way stronger, and it happened, the fireworks and then the pain in her knees at hitting the ground, Snape was nowhere near her reach. Quite aware of how pitiful she must have looked she raised her eyes searching for him, but there was only a blue light.

Hermione remained on the edge of her bed, clutched to her sheets for what seemed an eternity, whilst she tried to recover herself from such a strong memory. It was not only physically powerful, but emotionally, she felt terrible, not just because she was sure Snape was the real victim as she took advantage of the situation, but because she understood to a complete extension the reasons for the man to push her away; from his point of view he was clear to consider her a helpless student begging for mercy from a rapist, oh Dear, she wondered how he even managed to stay to his feet when he found her on his bed.

"I am the worst, I have to fix this, I have to- oh but how? You really messed up this time, Hermione." Tears threatening to appear by the corner of her eyes, overwhelmed by the guilt, the frustration and the fear for her most certainly ruined relationship with the man that had once showed her nothing but kindness.

The Gryffindor wiped the tears from her cheeks and recomposed herself, standing out to reach for a piece of parchment; she was most definitely going to fix this in her own way, by creating an intricate, devious plan which was positively going to fail, leading her to push her improvisation abilities to the limits. Though, she had to admit that her plan was extremely difficult to organize with the incomplete fulfillment of her sexual desires after recovering such passionate memories, finally deciding it was impossible to plot anything under such conditions she decided it was time to give up, she had already gone half the way with the real deal, why continue denying her obvious wishes?

Hermione lied down on her bed and completely embarrassed let her sensorial memories overwhelm her, and her hands mimic his, already guilty and ashamed enough.

She could focus on the plan after it.

Meanwhile, the Potions Master found himself over exhausted back to his room; he took a good look at it, wondering what the girl had thought about it when she invited herself in. Snape shook his thoughts away, there was no sense in troubling himself with such questions as the girl was never to return, from now on both of them were certain to avoid each other as the plague, she would not have a reason to even look his direction ever again; especially not after he has caught the person responsible for this complete disaster.

Then he panicked.

The girl was well known for her self-control, she would've known better than to follow the man that had almost rip her hand off the day before. His eyes flew to the bureau as he stalked to it opening the second drawer, reaching for the last flask and praying to an unidentified entity for it to has the expected name, he lifted it to his sight to read.

"Granger, H…" he let go a deep sigh of relief, for a moment he had thought the girl to have retrieved her memories, he pictured all the possible consequences for it: The rumors about his nastiness, about he had forced himself upon a student and then obliviated her, all the students wondering if they had been through the same once or more, then the letters from the parents, as McGonagalls had said; the image of the young witch staring at him full of disgust and hate as he was being reduced on the floor by Aurors made him shudder. However, this was not the case; the girl memories were still trapped inside the small flask between his long fingers, he placed it back and slid into his bed, he could've sworn his left pillow smelled like flowers, ' _her shampoo'_ so he drifted to the opposite extreme, as far as he could from the 'undesired' scent, finally falling sleep and dreaming of different decisions being made.

This was, at least, till he woke up the next morning, changed his clothes into his usual same attire, only no cloak needed on Saturday, and approached his breakfast, being served in his quarters since the incident. His brows furrowed as he spotted a letter carefully displayed next to the cup of coffee, he looked for any name or sign of its possible content outside, but there was nothing; deciding it could mean no real harm if it was coming from his most trusted house elf, he opened it to find a piece of parchment with a rather familiar handwriting. His stomach felt suddenly heavier, most likely would've thrown any food out if he had had any, haven't the girl had enough? He took a deep breath and read:

 _Roses are red,_

 _Violets are blue,_

 _You made an awful plan,_

 _For I've already caught you up._

 _Dear professor Snape,_

 _I remember_ _everything_ _, and we need to talk. Do not even try obliviating me or any other equally disrespectful or insulting thing, I have already enchanted a letter to be sent to everybody in the school if you do so, describing with much attention to details what you did to me. I'll be waiting for you in the Potions Clasroom, since you have forbidden me to go anywhere near your office ever again. The memory under my name in your bureau is actually Neville's just in case you were feeling mistakenly smart._

 _Regards, H.G._

 _P.s: Next time, I suggest you requisition my pants or meticulously frisk me._

He stumbled down the closest chair holding the letter in his trembling hand. How stupid has he become in these months? Maybe McGonagall was right, maybe society was right, maybe it was true that girls made boys (or men, in this case) act like idiots.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 18:**

Severus Snape was not well known for being a particularly patient nor merciful man, reason why the few Slytherin students from first and second year that were carelessly wandering around the halls that happened to come near his way shuddered to the fate for whoever had made him look that angry.

It was not a long way between his quarters and the Potions Classroom, but in a completely out of character attitude he had found himself walking in circles around the dungeons. He had tried to remain calm in his room, to find a way out of the predicament, perhaps to tell Minerva, no, the woman was half more suspicious of him than the girl, no, maybe bribing her… but no, she was a Gryffindor, most probably too proud to accept money for her silence, no. Thus, as he could not find any solution sitting full of anxiety in his armchair, he had decided that he might as well get things done quickly. But he couldn't; the moment he stood in front of his own Potions Classroom he froze, turned around and decided to take another walk. What attitude was he supposed to take when entering the place? Angry? Regretful? Pissed off? Sorry? Wand in hand? No, no, the girl was most likely going to freak out and send that bloody letter right away. The Potions Master was desperately creating different scenarios, different answers and routes to be discussed; picturing what would the girl say when he appeared in her presence. That was, in fact the hard thing to imagine, Hermione's attitude towards her own memories remained out of place for him, half her letter seemed outraged, but the other half was a mixture of amusement and teasing, it would've made more sense coming from a Slytherin; that way the intention would be clear, blackmailing him. He stopped in the middle of the current hall, causing a couple of students to startle and hurry out his sight… blackmailing, that made sense, that was the exact tone of her letter. Just one thing was not clear, what could she possibly want? Money? Treasures? Better marks? She had certainly a couple ones he could still forcefully improve in her records… anything, anything she wanted she would get it.

For the eleventh time he stood in front of his own classroom, took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door knob, there was no need for his wand, it was already open, and his upper lip twitched ' _She is definitely inside'._ The room was surprisingly empty and silent; he took just one step inside, looking for her in every corner, but saw nothing. Then, a second step, and before he could turn around and leave feeling relieved, the goosebumps made their way up his spine and he froze; his body stopped responding, every muscle was just as rigid as the stone in the wall and his body lost balance, precipitating to the floor, he couldn't even close his eyes so he simply prepared for the impact and mentally tried to remember the spell that was going to be required to fix his nose. But it was not necessary; he floated back to his feet and felt the sound of the door closing right behind him. Oh, crap, it was a trap, clever witch.

"Well, hello, professor." The girl surrounded him to place herself a few steps away, the man couldn't avoid noticing how she was wearing the Gryffindor cloak in spite of it not being necessary, maybe she wanted to cover herself as much as possible from his malicious eyes. "How the tables have turned." Her wand traveled to her left sleeve to remain safe. "I formally apologize for what I am about to do, but I am not making your same mistakes, so now, if you excuse me…"

She moved forward and locked her eyes in his before placing both hands in his shoulders and slowly moving them down and across his chest. Snape wondered just how petrified he was, could she still feel his erratic breathing clear sign of the fear he was feeling? Or that part of his body was just as frozen as the rest? Her hands seemed to be trapped somewhere inside his cloak and fighting to find something or to simply get out.

"I swear this was not part of my plan, but for Merlin's sake, sir, just how many pieces of clothing you have on?" She excused herself while fighting to actually take his cloak off, finally achieving it and carefully discarding it to the floor. She looked back at his eyes with a shy smile and then quickly looked away with a pinkish tone in her cheeks. "I-I will continue." She replaced both palms back to him and traveled down his torso, till her right hand grazed what she was looking for, she leaned and got closer, burying herself in his left pocket and retrieving his wand from inside it. "I am requisitioning this." The man let go an internal sigh of relief as her proximity was making him quite uncomfortable, but she didn't stop there, he mentally panicked when the girl went on her knees and started patting his pants. "and this, sir, is how you make sure someone is not bringing anything unexpected in or… out." She finished patting his calves and went back to her feet. Just when she was about to step back she shook her head and looked down, as she suddenly remembered something embarrassing "Oh, there is this… this last place, sorry, very sorry." The girl completely pressed against him and introduced both of her hands in the back pockets of his pants. Was the room getting hotter or it was just her?

In the meantime, Snape had started to convince himself that it was some kind of wicked dream, and he had better wake up because classes were going to be a lot more awkward if he was going to start having this sort of dreams with the brunette.

Hermione finally moved away, and took some time to try recovering her normal color before raising her head. She shifted her own weight from one foot to another figuring out what to do next. She had a plan, but as they always failed, she was not expecting to really get this far with this one.

"I… I remember everything and I…" the main idea of what she wanted to express was clear, but not the exact words, her nervousness was taking away every logical reasoning, what ended up giving her a real solution. Her hand slipped inside the pocket of her cloak and held up a small bottle for the man to see. "I am sure you must suspect what this is, but –here!" she approached it to his nose to smell and she could've sworn there was fear in his eyes. "Oh, no, don't worry, it's not for you. I mean! I actually brought it for you, but I guess I need it more… there are things I cannot say without it, and though I am sure it will not be half as effective as I won't be interrogated, it still will help me find the right words, perhaps… you would consider giving Neville and me a high mark if it works extraordinary well." She took the bottle to her lips and drank. She remained silently staring at her own feet for a few seconds, then she took a deep breath and raised her head up, eyes nailed somewhere around his chest.

"I am truly sorry for what happened, I led you to think you hurt me, when you did not. Well, I mean, yes, you did hurt me quite a lot, have you seen my back? And my legs, ugh- no, no, no, that was not it! I am positive you didn't mean to hurt me, you asked me to leave and I ignored you, being quite aware of the possible consequences." Her words were going inside his ears, but he was not sure he was actually understanding them well, was she apologizing for what he did? Was this a normal behavior for Gryffindors? Did their loyalty extend to these extremes? "I've never liked you" Oh, back to reality, finally something that made sense to make him feel at home "Not as a man, at least, that's why I was so confused when the dreams started." This was an emotional roller coaster "You are not handsome, you are not athletic and you are not a charming prince," down we go "but yet I've found myself thinking of you in ways that are not proper of a student. At the beginning I thought it was because of the potion, that it was inducing indecorous ideas, but then why… why do I still have them now?" For the first time since she started talking, her eyes looked for his "I had so many chances to stop you, and I didn't, I only told you to when it was too late, afraid you would hate me for what I was doing to you, do you hate me now, sir?" Too much info, this was too much info to process at once, he was still tripping over the sentence about her dreams. "You started acting like I was a demon, was it because you knew I was enjoying myself at your cost or was it because you thought so poorly of you to hate yourself?" She stepped forward, "I bet you thought of you as the worst scum, you panicked and ran to McGonagall, obliviated me before or after… I was so angry, so mad at you for daring to take my memories, but I guess I understand now, if I would've not been completely out of breath at your feet I would've probably obliviated you as well."

Snape felt himself back to the first couple incidents, completely unsure of what to do, with no control of the situation, not only because he was petrified and disarmed, but because even if he were free to do whatever he wanted, he would've no idea of what to do. There was no self esteem low enough in the entire world to deny that this girl, under the effects of a veritaserum potion, was confessing her lust, if not love, for him.

"You are not good-looking, your hair does look still greasy after these years and you are clearly damaged in more than one way," or maybe it was possible to deny her confession "but you are also clever, tall, interesting, and kind, even when you make a tremendous effort to hide it, though you are not buff, you are still in shape for a man whose main job is to brew potions and sit at his desk." He thought in kicking her out for that, if only he could "your hands… I never paid too much attention to them till recovering my memories, but now… Oh! and your voice" the girl let go a laugh that resonated through his brain "it must be the sexiest sound on earth, I spent hours talking to you in hope you would give me just a sentence in response, half of them were to shut me down. Would you like me to shut my mouth up now, sir?" Snape mentally thanked he was petrified, it made much easier to accept what was to happen without the sorrow. The young witch rose in her tip toes and kissed him with her eyes closed, not mattering his were still opened beholding what looked as a brand new Hermione for him.

"I thought you hated me." Her hands were still in his chest, "My hair is all bushy and messy, I've tried several potions to try and fix it, but even when it has improved, it still looks as permanently tangled. I was already thin before all of this but I have clearly lost weight and I consider myself to be currently skinny and pitiful, people say I am bossy, for what I know myself for sure to be and I also am, as you have let me know so many times, an insufferable know-it-all" Snape feared for his own luck at a veritaserum potion if he ever had one, it was clearly doing something serious to the girl's brain, she looked just perfect, hair included, and yes, she did have a strong personality, but it has improved through to the years for what he actually considered her an enjoyable companion sometimes. "I know nothing about being pretty or acting sensual, I've considered myself to be beyond all those frivolities, but, even so… I think you like me." How dared she? Assume such a thing from him, she should add conceited to her list. "Even if you try to hide it from yourself, or diminish that feeling, somewhere deep inside you, you know you like me, perhaps not my voice, perhaps not my personality, perhaps not… me, maybe you hate all of those, but I am sure that you at least like my body… or you would've not done that when you saw me in your office." She nervously giggled, at what Snape considered to sound as a silly schoolgirl, what she actually was; the girl then removed her hands from his chest and stepped backwards, almost in touch of a table behind her, close to trip over a bench. "I believe you must be familiar with the concept of blackmailing." Oh, he knew it! He knew it all along! Something smelled fishy and rotten! ' _Yes, prove me right, what is it, Granger? What is the price for your silence? Prove me right after such a cheesy speech._ '

"I'd like you to allow me to continue my visits, you can call it whatever you want, potion lesson, reading lesson, cleaning lesson, private lesson, perhaps defense against the dark arts lessons if it pleases you, I'd take any personal lesson with you, real or fake, day or night, why am I talking so much?" There was her giggle again, "I know your heart is in other place" Exactly where? He really would like to know because at this very moment he felt it around his feet. "And I don't presume I could ever earn it, but for this short period of time left for me at Hogwarts… I'd like to share it with you, and maybe, just maybe, you could find attractive more than just my body for the end of this term." The girl dedicated him a shy smile, was this some kind of proposal? Was she formally asking him to be her boyfriend in the most indirect of the ways? No, not asking him, demanding him, she was crystal clear this was blackmailing. "I'll give you a few minutes to think it over and then I… I will unpetrify you, ok?" Oh, wait, what? He had got sort of comfortable with the idea of doing nothing, was she really expecting him to give an immediate answer? This was insane! It was clear he was going to say no! He felt ridiculously nervous all at once, he knew what he had to say, but he wasn't really sure he actually wanted to. After two weeks his office did sound awkwardly silent without her.

"Five, four…" ' _yes, no, yes, MINERVA! No, no, no'_ "Three, two…" _oh, the bloody letter for the complete school you are blackmailing me with, then yes, any lesson you want, I will even teach how to play quidditch if I must_ "One. Finite." She waved her hand and he almost fell to his knees gasping for air, though it was not really needed. Then, after he towered back to his usual imposing self he dramatically turned his head her way.

"My wand" Snape barked, causing Hermione to shiver in her place with his wand inside her left sleeve. The girl quickly took it, but instead of offering it to him, she actually hid it behind her back. "Don't be stupid, Granger, and give me my wand."

"Not until you give me an answer."

"An answer?! Oh, you want an answer for what, exactly? If I hate you, if you fooled me into believing I had-"There was a quick glance to her lower body and back to her lips "Or perhaps you want to know if I'd like you to shut. That. Mouth. " He took a firm step that caused Hermione to startle. "I am familiar with the concept of blackmailing, Miss Granger, and I have to say I find this… move of you quite sly for a Gryffindor, congratulations on that. But how do you suppose I am going to teach you any bloody lesson after what you-" He was going to explode, Professor Severus Snape's head was going to explode right in front of her, that was definitely too much for him, she took him to his limits.

"Sir… I didn't mean to-"

"YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO?! Then I guess this-" He frenetically looked for a note inside his robes, and threw it to the floor between them two, it was the one the girl sent him with the breakfast that morning "This was not intentional either, someone else just happened to send me this, and then you just happened to be here, and oh, look that, your wand accidentally shot itself with perfect aim and-"

"Enough!" He did stop talking and took his time to retreat his body back to a more casual standing position. "Enough… I know I did terrible, but… do you really find me that obnoxious? So difficult to share a few minutes a day with me? You don't really need to teach me anything… I could just sit in silence on your sofa, on the floor or on the table; I could check some essays or even organize and clean your office, I… I just want to fix what happened, to try and fix… us."

The silence hung in the room, making the air heavier with every second.

"… There is no us, Miss Granger, there has never been. I don't know… I don't know what got into you, but you are clearly confused, I am a teacher, and not just any teacher. Perhaps I have, in a completely unintentional way, given you some… hint, a very misunderstood one, but I am not kind, I am not gentle, and I am definitely not a reasonable object of affection, especially not for someone like you." The girl made an effort to protest but the man stopped her with a movement of his hand "It doesn't really matter neither my feelings or yours, you should know better than this, just look at you… so young and full of potential, somewhere out there is some wizard… or muggle, worthy of your affections, but that one is not me… nor Ronald Weasley if I may add, even Longbottom seems more suitable, you two have my blessing."

"But I don't want Neville... And I don't want to look for someone else, I like you." She didn't say it before, this was the first time, and it hit him harder than he was prepared to.

"You don't like me, how could you possibly like me after just two weeks? Don't you see? You have been through a lot, and I was the safest thing to hang to, this isn't the first time you do this, isn't it? You went through a lot before, fooled yourself to be in love with the Weasley boy and how long did that last, Miss Granger? How long till you noticed he was nothing but an empty shell?" Hermione remained silent, running out of words and excuses, she hadn't thought in that. "Now… May I have my wand? Perhaps we are still in time to pretend this never happened, I trust both of us can handle a secret long enough for you to remind this as a funny story, the time you petrified the Dungeons Bat and confessed to the greasy git, Potter is surely to love it." The girl nodded softly, longing at the floor, which the man took as a sign and moved forward till he was just two feet away, being careful not to step over the note still lying on the ground. But the girl didn't hand him the wand, instead she quickly placed it in the waistband of her skirt at her back.

"Come and get it." He wanted to slap his own face, what the heck was the girl playing at? Maybe he was being too soft "I had a four month trial with Ron, why don't have it with you, too?" She stood as stiff as she could, chin completely up and daring eyes.

"… Very well, let it be your way." He stepped forward, towering over her, as intimidating as he could, having a real effect in the girl who shuddered to his image and tried to walk back, finally tripping with the bench and falling sitting on it, half her body over the table and half sprayed on the seat. Just then, because of the quick slip and disposition of her limbs, her cloak fell open to her sides, allowing the man to see her clothes, though they were not particularly provocative or lewd, he still wondered how she was not trembling out of cold; a rather tight green blouse and a solid five inches over her knees skirt was hardly all she had under her cloak. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat before speaking "Miss Granger, you do realize you are in the dungeons, the coldest place in the castle at the end of October? Because if this is how you planned to seduce me, I have to say I do not find pneumonia particularly attractive." He was already bending over her, one hand on the table to support himself.

"It was actually Ginny's idea." He immediately retreated, looking suddenly enraged and worried.

"You told the Weasley girl about this?!"

"She doesn't know I am here, or what happened, she only knows well… she definitely knows I like you, but I didn't tell her! She was actually the one who told me."

"Ginny Weasley said ' _You like Snape'_ and you followed her lead?!" He couldn't believe his ears, he had thought this to be a secret, but it was clearly not, if Ginny knew, then Harry knew and most likely Ronald Weasley who was obviously going to tell everybody else out of jealousy.

"No, she was the one who noticed I was falling for you when I, just like you right now, was desperately denying my feelings. She didn't tell me to wear this… she just said I could pick something nicer for the man who was spending half his time helping me and she was right."

"So she agrees to the idea of her friend fancying herself with the greasy bat?"

"Stop calling yourself that, you are not any of those, and yes, I think she actually loves the idea of hum… us, together, maybe too much." For this moment she had already fixed her skirt, looking much composed. "I… I don't have many nice clothes, I am more practical, so… I just chose this, Ron used to like it when we-"

"And you thought that as I am just like Weasley I would enjoy this?" She shrugged in her place, he was right, did she somehow offend him? "I appreciate the effort, Miss Granger, but next time, do not compare me to the dunderhead of your ex boyfriend."

"So… you hate it." He tried to stare at her face, avoiding any glare to her silhouette, and especially her legs.

"Yes, Miss Granger, I do hate it, as I consider it to be insulting, not only for me but for yourself." The girl looked seriously hurt by this, so he tried to restructure his sentence "You don't need to wear half the long of fabric to be pretty, no, that is not-" Her eyes glittered with joy back to his and he alarmed, that was clear to confuse her "This is a dress code violation."

"But it is still longer than Pansy's…"

"Because she is the personification of dignity and everything worthy." His eyes rolled, but yet he saw by the corner of them how the girl rearranged her cloak back to cover her body. "Don't" She kept holding the fabric with a baffled look. "I still need my wand back."

"You still want to reach for it?"

"I trust you to be smarter than to foolish me into an obvious trap of some kind, or you could always hand it to me."

"Severus Snape, the bravest man Harry's ever met, why don't you take your chances with the trap?"

"Did Potter say that about me?" His brow rose stunned by such a comment.

"Oh, you would marvel at what Harry currently thinks of you."

"… Fine, I have better not disappoint him, then." He bent down, completely aware of what a mistake he was making and the dangers of playing her game along. He was actually prepared for the girl to try and steal a final kiss from him the moment he leaned closer enough, but it did not happen, maybe she had recover her good judgment. His left arm surrounded her while still supporting himself with the right one anchored to the table. He was prepared for her to stretch and touch him, maybe dare hug him, but it did not happen. He was even prepared for her to say something, anything, but it didn't happen. He was prepared for anything, but not for the moan she let go when he grazed her back, tensing right next her ear. "That was not fair." The girl shrugged with a mischievous smile "Look at you, Granger, blackmailing, breaking the dress code, seducing a professor and playing dirty, all of this in less than one hour… people will say I am a terrible influence."

"You could influence me more in our private lessons." The girl wondered if she was still under the effects of the veritaserum because not even she could believe what she said out loud. With a grunt the man reincorporated, wand in hand, still leading over her but far enough to see her face.

"Miss Granger, are you really sure about all of this?"

"Sure enough to risk my expulsion by almost raping a professor." He snorted.

"I think I'd rather the version in which you were the victim, I have a reputation."

"Then, you should keep that attitude and act like it." Hermione feared for the man's reaction, she was being quite more audacious than she actually thought herself capable of, which could end up being just as insulting as her clothes.

"Are you hexed or under some potion? Did you talk like this to the Weasley boy?" She shook her head with her eyes lock in his.

"I never had to, he was quite much easier to persuade." His face disarranged into a displeased expression "I like challenges, and you are being quite uncooperative, you force me to try new things and out of my comfort zone, I sort of like it."

"If you like me so uncooperative, perhaps I should try the opposite, maybe that way you would discard me in only one day." For this moment he had already decided that even if it was for a laughable short period of time, he would allow himself to enjoy what was being offered so gently; especially now that he was almost for sure this was a dream, nothing this good could be happening to him.

"You should definitely try that; I would lose all interest right away."

"Why don't you tell me what to do, then?"

"You should touch me." As his current standing was making him uncomfortable, he placed his right knee on the bench next to her, allowing him to close the distance without feeling his back being broken in half.

"Where should I do that?"

"Anywhere you want, surprise me, I love surprises, anything that would give m-" By half her sentence the man changed his expression into an outraged one.

"This is a classroom, Miss Granger, there are things that should not be done in here, ever, drop that indecent attitude already." Oh, crap, she managed to ruin to the moment, she knew she was pushing his limits.

"Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to sound vulgar or- Oh!" She let go a gasp of surprise when his left hand traveled from her knee up her thigh. "Oh, that was low!" She smiled nervously as his hand continued to go up and around her waist "I really-" moan "thought" hard breathing "I offended you."

"Feeling bored of me already?" Neither as a Death Eater nor as a teacher had he considered that at some point he would have Hermione Granger shivering beneath him just because of the slight touch of his fingers over her clothes, he could stay like this forever, but there was still an interrogation to be made.

"Not quite, you should-" she had closed her eyes to focus on the sense of his warmth, but she opened them to face him before adding "you should kiss me."

"I. Should. Kiss. You." With every word he closed the distance by an inch, till he was muttering right in her lips, but even before he could fulfill her wishes the girl grabbed him by his robes and pulled him against her, running her hands fast to his hair, licking and biting her way in.

After this, everything went smooth, though the table felt uncomfortable against her still sore back; she managed to block the pain focusing only in his strong grip around her waist, which was slowly moving down.

When his hand reached the limit of her skirt the man moved backward, gasping for air and added "Miss Granger, I assure you if you ask me to stop, I will not be mad."

"Do I really look like I want you to stop, professor?"

"I had to ask."

She pulled him back against her lips by his hair, while his hand slowly slid inside her skirt and up her inner thighs. She tensed, wondering if the man would really dare touch her in her core, when the worst possible thing happened.

KNOCK KNOCK

His immediate instinct was to hurry to the extreme opposite of the room, but the girl clenched her legs around him and signed him to keep silent.

"Were you expecting someone?" The girl whispered as low as she could, the air had never been so hard to breathe.

"Yes, Miss Granger, I was clearly expecting someone to come while I am transgressing a dozen rules with a student."

"Don't play that, you sure you didn't tell anyone to come and save you?"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Hermione! If you are inside there with Professor Snape BREWING some potion, I am asking you to STOP and open this door, because if you don't I will slam it down!" Ginny, didn't she say she was going to be at Hogsmeade all day?

"I hardly think Miss Weasley is here to save ME, you told her to come?" the man was struggling to free himself from the girl's legs firmly pressed against him, only increasing the problem between his own legs.

"Ssh, she doesn't know I am here, she will leave, just sssshh." The man froze and waited, resigned to her insistence.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"I am serious here, Hermione! I will explode the door open just as I already did with your door and Snape's , and if you are not in here I will continue with Filch's! I am finding you even if I have to retrieve the marauders map myself!"

Hermione let go of her grip to the man and rose to her feet with the eyes fully open staring at the door, meanwhile, the man was trying to control his wrath and confusion, did the red head just confess she blew off his office's door? And how was Filch related in all of this? Hermione quickly reached for the man's cloak and threw it his way.

"ONE!"

"She is gonna use bombarda." The girl tried to adjust her own cloak and hair, while the man had disappeared from her sight.

"TWO! Do not touch me!"

Not touch her? Wasn't she alone? Hermione was piercing the door with her eyes, while thinking in a proper excuse to be there, apparently alone.

"TH-! Oh, hi, professor." At some point Snape had managed to rearrange his clothes and hair, completely messy five seconds ago and opened the door for Ginny, who was already holding her wand in her direction. "Is… Hermione here? Oh, hey, 'Mione" She had invited herself in the room and was obviously trying to act as normal as possible while being notoriously upset. "It looks like you were… really busy in here."

Hermione shrugged complete embarrassed, she held no secrets for Ginny, maybe her hair, maybe her cloak, just what gave her away?

"Miss Weasley, though I enjoy just as much as any other teacher getting visits by students on a Saturday morning, especially when I am already lending some of my time for Miss Granger to finish her project in my classroom… would you mind repeating what you said about my office's door?"

Project? What project? Hermione turned around and saw that in an unquestionable magical act the Potions Master had disposed a shimmering cauldron to brew right behind them, creating the perfect alibi.

"Oh, your door is just fine, sir, I already repaired it, don't worry… I know you two are busy, but there is something that I really, really… REALLY need Hermione to see right now."

Hermione was puzzled if to move, she was unsure the man would be ever as cooperative as he was just before. However, Ginny's attitude was completely insane so she couldn't help but being completely intrigued by it.

"Weasley?" Hermione watched how the man talked to someone out the room, was Ron there? Was he the one Ginny yelled at before? If it was him, the brunette quickly sympathized with Snape, whose face was utterly disturbed. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, don't you mind him, he is-" Hermione saw a murderous sight being sent from Ginny's eyes "- perfectly fine. So? Hermione? You coming or what?"

The brunette sent the Potions Master one last look, pleading he would understand it to its full extension and moved forward to follow Ginny.

"Professor Snape."

"Miss Granger."

Both of them bent in a small bow of good bye and Hermione left the room to finally see Ron, reduced in an ashamed position with his mouth fully closed, his lips stuck together, making impossible for him to talk.

"For Merlin's sake! Ron! Wait a minute, I'll-" Hermione reached for her wand, allowing both her friends to see the clothes she was hiding, her concern being more important than her own reputation, but just when she was about to cast the counterspell Ginny stopped her.

"Don't! He doesn't deserve any mercy, and he better not even dare look your way because I will break his nose again."

"Again?!" Her eyes looked for any sign of blood or pain in his face, but it was just full of remorse.

"Harry insisted in fixing it, something about it being suspicious in the middle of the hallway… Whatever, move, Hermione, we better hurry." Ginny started to walk so fast Hermione had to actually run a couple feet before being able to reach her, while Ron pursued them both with his eyes nailed to the floor.

"Ginny, wait, wait! I do not understand anything! Just what happened?"

"I will tell you what happened, I found the potion creator, the gigantic moron that got you into this." Ginny took a small moment to close distance from Hermione and whisper to her ear "And do not even think I don't know what you two were doing in there, what were you thinking dressing like that? Not even Ron would be stupid enough to not notice." Her face went completely red, but her curiosity was stronger.

"What do you mean by the potion creator? You found the person that was poisoning me?" Suddenly connecting the dots, she turned to see Ron and her heart pinched as she had tried so hard to convince herself it was not him. "Oh no… Ron, tell me he didn't-"

"OH LIKE HECK HE DID! But no, he is just a stupid pawn, no, just wait to see the big fish, Hermione, that's why we have to hurry, I don't know for how long Harry will be able to hold him back."

"Who is it? Is it someone I know?"

"We are almost there." Ginny had led them to a painting of a man half asleep on a table located in the first floor near the Gryffindor Tower. "Let us through."

"Password."

"The password is you let us through or I'll use bombarda for the fourth time today."

"Wrong password." Ginny held up her wand and pointed at the man who, in spite of looking on wards, remained sitting at his table.

"Bomb-"

"Alright, alright! Jeez! I was never told about this when I was offered the job of secret passage, come in…" The painting moved, revealing a hole big enough to go in by crawling on their knees and hands.

"Go in, Hermione, wand up, I will go right behind Ron," the redhead turned to face her own brother with so much anger Hermione thought was going to punch him for a second time "I will make sure he crawls back to the hole where he came from."

"… Ginny, can't you just tell what I am going to face on the other side?"

"I am too embarrassed myself to do it, Hermione… let's go."

Baffled and clueless, Hermione gingerly went inside the hole and crawled her way through it. During the meantime she took her time to think how much her life had changed because of the potion, unsure if she wanted to punch whoever was at the end of the tunnel, or thank him.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

As I am not an English native speaker, I apologize for any grammar or vocabulary mistake, and yes, in order to improve, I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on them if possible, thank you so much.

 **Chapter 19:**

Twenty years. Twenty years had passed with Severus Snape not sitting in one of those benches, though sitting was saying too much, since he was actually tumbled down all over the table, questioning not only his life choices but his future. His eyes drifted to an hourglass over his actual desk, which he didn't consider worthy of using, and back to his hands. _'Still ten more minutes of regret'_. He knew he had to be in his office in ten minutes to stop the two Slytherins from scavenging, but it was impossible for him to collect himself. He had been so close to throw his reputation and job by the window, just because of a moment of heat.

' _She likes you, idiot, she really does.'_ His life had been marked by the biggest of the rejections followed by the inability to truly connect with any other female, aware of his own lack of worth for any romance or love life; mean, brute, despicable, those were real adjectives he would use to describe himself. The girl was quite aware of this, and in spite of it, and any other moral and logical reasoning she had decided to persue a relationship with him.

' _I can't do this to her'_ , dating him would be no only the end for both of their school lives, but also for her innocence, even when she had proven herself quite ambitious and audacious, he was clear to tear her to pieces, not just physically, as he was, by her own mouth, damaged in more than one way.

' _So determined, so close',_ he had been so close… if not for Ginny. That was the breaking point; one second later and he would've dragged the girl to some other more private place instead of stepping back.

Tic toc

Snape let go a deep sigh and stood, he would find a way to deal with this later, right now he had to pull himself to his office, so he could murder the responsible for his current sorrow. That would fix his problem; staying locked up in Azkaban would avoid getting in contact with the girl ever again.

Tic toc

The slam in the door was loud enough to be heard even in the Slytherin's common room.

While The Potions Masters was trying to push his feelings once again on line, there were three Gryffindors crawling their ways through a clearly recent tunnel, with Hermione to the head.

It was so dark inside she couldn't avoid hitting her forehead against the end of it, which didn't take long to finally open revealing the other side. It was a rather fully stocked room, slightly covered by dust and poorly lighted, the girl slid out the tunnel wand in hand, unsure of what to do; was she looking for someone or something? The rather small space was unpleasantly familiar, as she had been in there before, many times, but not quite the same. Ron made his way out and Hermione noticed how he was still too ashamed to look her in the eye; Ginny's wand still hardly pressed against his own brother's back.

"They should be this way" Ginny pushed Ron, who moved leading the way with his hands up, intending to show he meant no harm and was more than willing to cooperate.

Hermione followed them closely, glaring briefly at every pile of box, stocked up to the ceiling and defectively labeled, furthermore confusing. Till they took a turn inside an even smaller room, which looked as an office; big desk, full of papers and files, sitting in the closest chair was Harry, looking rather tired and anxious, with his eyes and wand lost somewhere around George's face, who was currently holding his chin and tapping his fingers with a poor excuse of a rhythm, sitting in the other extreme with his lips just as stuck together as Ron's.

When the girl appeared in their sight, both of them came back to life, with Harry being unsure of where to look, if to his best friend being abused by her girlfriend or her obviously confused and out of place deceived almost sister.

"I had to hex him, he was getting pretty convincing." Still holding his wand in George's direction, Harry added in a low profile voice "he tried to buy his way out, funny, because I am still the main investor of his store."

"Hex him as much as you want, Harry, I can assure you anything you do is nothing compared to what mom is gonna do." George started to mimic his hands, pleading to unmake the spell so he could talk, what went completely ignored by Ginny, directing her attention to the utterly baffled brunette. "I swear it, Hermione, I had no idea there were so many rats in my family, I am so embarrassed..."

"… George? You were the one- But how? But why?" She was tripping over questions, unsure of where to start, her eyes dancing between every Weasley in the room. "Ginny?"

"We came to Hogsmeade today, shortly after Ron excused himself, saying he needed to get something and left Harry and me, he took part of my money with him so we followed him. Shock to find him going into Zonko's when the store had been closed for more than five months." Then Hermione recognized the place, it was the decoration style proper of the abandoned joke store, which would explain the dust. "He was acting really weird so we decided to spy on him…" her eyes went full of indignation in George's way "They started talking about you, about Snape, and about how Ron had lost his chances to win the contest so far. It didn't take long to connect the dots."

"I still don't know what is happening here, I am just- ahm- following Ginny's intuition here." Harry excused himself, moving in his place uncomfortable and avoiding Ron. "I'm sorry, buddy, but you have to admit it sounded awful."

"The… contest? The pranking contest?! Was it you?" Hermione could feel her face growing in anger and her breath speeding, she was being toyed with in every possible way "You were the one who started that stupid contest and put a price to my head?! And what was it? What could be so good to do this… to me?" She was so infuriated, but the last sentence was instead full of pain, feeling the betrayal from his former lover, and soon-to-be former friend. "WHAT IS THE PRIZE?!"

There was silence as two of the three Weasleys couldn't actually talk, Harry shyly raised his hand.

"… Half of the store."

"… What?"

"He is offering to be half the owner of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to whoever wins the more points in the joke contest." Ginny's face went completely red and her eyes seemed to pop out her head.

"GEORGE WEASLEY! Are you giving away Fred's part of the company to any stranger stupid enough to participate of this insane idea of you?! You are unbelievable!"

"What about Professor Snape?" Ginny's yelling was interrupted by a soft and composed question made by Hermione. Harry signed with his free hand at a piece of paper pinned to a wall, then took it and handed it to the girl, eyes nailed to the floor.

"He had time enough to explain his entire plan, trying to make it sound as innocent as possible… but it was ridiculous. He didn't tell what exactly the purpose was, but there is a certain mysterious potion which gives an insane amount of points, making any other joke pointless. Whoever successfully used that potion in any of the people in this piece of paper would most definitely win, like catching the snitch in a quidditch game, the moment someone got it, the game was technically over." Hermione reached for the parchment and read the names; it didn't take long since there were only three:

' _To whoever can victoriously apply this joke to any of the following and succeed at writing a short essay describing the potion effects:_

 _1.- Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of the Gryffindor House and Headmistress of Hogwarts._

 _2.500 points_

 _2.- Professor Severus Snape, Head of the Slytherin House and Bat of the Dungeons._

 _2.500 points_

 _3.- Prefect Hermione Granger, War Heroine and Miss Perfection._

 _2.000 points'_

The knot in her throat almost made her choke, her heart pounding in her ears as she tried to collect herself and the tears that threatened to come out; he dared call her Miss Perfection making his cruelty twice worse. She inhaled as much air as she could and wiped her right cheek.

"He said it is a harmless new potion he created by accident and tested it himself, but the results in more hum… difficult subjects were to be discovered by observation yet."

"… Harmless?" Hermione raised her wand and pointed at George who out of surprise uselessly attempted to cover himself "finite".

"I CAN EXPLAIN!"

"You really thought that poisoning my food would be harmless? Do you have any idea-?" She looked at Harry, remembering how she had led to both of her best friends break up "If it was so harmless, why you didn't simply ask me to help you? Was it really necessary to humiliate me like that?"

"So you are telling me it actually worked?"

"Of course it- wait, no, no, no, uuuugh, you had no idea it was working? so you continued to- Professor Snape was so right, for Lord's sake, George! How can you be such an idiot?!"

"Snape was right about what? Am I missing something important here?" George changed his expression into a rather puzzled and worried one, his main concern; just how much Snape knew?

"We all are…" Harry didn't mind hiding how uncomfortable he was with the complete lack of information between each part.

"Forget about Professor Snape, he is definitely killing you if he finds out. You should be grateful you are not at Hogwarts anymore… or that there are no more dementors around."

"You are not telling him, right, Hermione? You wouldn't kill me, it was all out of curiosity, you must understand, this was a great discovery; a new brand potion, maybe even Snape would be marveled by its recipe."

"Ginny, could you go fetch him so we find out just how marveled he would be?" Ginny grinned evilly at her suggestion.

"Thinking about it twice, better not, I sort of enjoy being alive… not that it would really matter, both slytherins that succeeded at giving the potion to him could not find out its effects, if any." Both girls in the room exchanged a brief look full of complicity, as they were positive of the blasting effects.

"And why would you need others to write an essay on it? You've never been a fan of reading, and I am sure that having tested it yourself, you should already know its effects."

"Well… yeah, but they were quite different every time, and they were even weirder on Ron, so I really didn't know what to expect from you… Hermione, not to say Snape, the Great Hall would've been such a show."

' _You have no idea what a show.'_

"Hermione, could you please tell me, as I seem to be the only who doesn't know, what this bloody potion does?" The brunette swallowed hard, unsure of how truly describe it.

"… It makes you do things out of nowhere just because they seem as a good idea at the moment, even if your brain screams they really are not." The boy stood in silence as he tried to recall where and when he had heard that expression before, suddenly remembering the complete chaos that was winning Ginny's heart back after her best friend kissed him; his brows rose and he looked awkwardly nervous once more.

"Oooooooh… I understand now. Are you sure you don't want me to go get Snape? I could even get you the minister."

"Ok, ok, ok! It is clear I am losing a lot of information here, information so important that maybe if I had known it this would've not gone this far… right?" As George tried to poorly excuse himself, Ron couldn't take it any longer and jumped in front of the others gesturing to please have his voice back. Hermione allowed Ginny to restore it, as it seemed just fair.

"He didn't say anything about that! Hermione! Hermione!" The boy had let himself fall heavily on his knees in front of the brunette and was currently pleading for forgiveness "I had no idea! I swear! He said the potion was for a completely different thing! He didn't say anything about it being humiliating or making you do anything at all! I don't know what is going on here! I just wanted to keep the business inside the family!"

He could see by the corner of his eyes how Ginny menaced to kick him, but was stopped by Hermione; somehow he felt back at the shrieking shack in third year, only he sported now the role of Peter Pettigrew.

"What did he tell you, Ron?"

"He said… he said it was a relaxing potion, which needed to be tested in you as you are –hum- were acting a bit stressed… maybe. But I only did it once! Then you got sick, so I told him I was not doing it again." Hermione couldn't help but laughing and rolling her eyes.

"You told Ron it was a relaxing potion? I can hardly imagine how I could've been any more stressed after kis…" Ginny gestured her to silence in a so overdramatic way that Hermione thought her hands were to fly off her arms. "Stand up, Ron, I believe you… so that was it? Ron was the first one to do it and as he quit you gave literally every student old enough to come to Hogsmeade the job of drugging me?"

"I couldn't do it myself, could I? And don't you dare to leave me alone in this one, Ron, you were the one who agreed to continue it."

"Yeah, Ron, we heard you talking about recent events, not two weeks ago."

"Because George said he had fixed the doses, and I actually did test it on myself before slipping in your food again. If it helps you somehow to forgive me, I have to say that I did some weird things under its effects… but at that moment I thought it was a mental break down… and I did feel better after having it, kinda more relaxed and breezy." As George sported a disturbed grin in his face, the others looked puzzled at Ron, trying to figure out what he exactly did.

"Yeah, Ron, tell them what you did."

"How about I tell them what you did?" The two brothers stared at each other in what looked like a contest, till both of them yelled their answers at the same time.

"George kissed Fred's portrait and then cried his eyes out for ten minutes!"

"Ron started to slowly dance with a manikin!" There was silence as Harry tried to suppress the laugh growing inside him, Ginny looked baffled and bewildered by the idea of his brother kissing himself in a picture and Hermione nodded with a pleased expression, at least she was not alone.

"George, yours was definitely worse." The brunette finally declared a winner, or loser for such matter.

"Then he shouted your name and started crying so badly he literally chopped her head off 'Oh, _'Mione, I'm so sorry, I was such an idiot, pleeeeeeeeease'_. Grow up, Ron, Hermione is alive, you can still talk to the real one."

"That is exactly what I am doing! I swear it, 'Mione, it was not weird, I just suddenly felt bad for well… everything." The young witch seemed actually horrified by that idea, but who was her to judge? She also did some crazy things.

"It's ok, Ron, I am aware you are not really in control when it happens… numb feeling, uh?"

"All around my face." There was an awkward silence as Harry and Ginny expected Hermione to be more outraged for such a revelation.

"And well, Hermione? What do you want to do with them?" George started to list all the reasons why the girl should forgive him, starting with the benefits for the potions field and following with numbers that sounded more as bribing than anything else. But she didn't listen; her mind was in some other place, more focused on a solution than in the problem, feeling herself back, practical, sensible, Hermione.

"Can you leave us alone for a moment?" Harry lowered his wand and turned to see Ginny, who was completely baffled by the request.

"Are you sure about that, Hermione?"

"Yes, there are some things I'd like to talk to George alone." The redhead nodded and hesitantly gripped Ron by his upper arm, pushing him out the small office right behind Harry.

"Careful, 'Mione, don't let him bribe you, he has literally used you as a guinea pig for two weeks, have no mercy." With that said the enraged sister slammed the door and left, her steps echoing in the next room.

"What is it, Hermione? What can this pitiful man offer you so you forgive him?"

"Oh, I will never forgive or forget what you did to me, George. You have absolutely no idea what I have been through, no idea." The boy shivered, her voice was cold and calculating, a tone he had only heard being used by Ginny and her own mother, just a few minutes before crushing some poor idiot to the floor.

"I'd love to know, Hermione, please tell me, I'm all ears." There was no laugh for his joke, not even out of pity.

"I know you want to know, I know… And I am willing to offer you an exchange."

"An exchange? Of what kind?"

"You want to know how this affected me and how badly, don't you? Alright, I will write you an essay meticulously detailed, so you will have all your data collected by the most reliable source considering every possible variable; time, place, people around, feelings, sensations, everything. I have had plenty of time to think about all of these while I desperately tried to find a solution." George's grin became in a disturbed expression as he realized this was not going to end well for him or his plans. "I will write enough to publish a book, and you will use it to notify of your discovery to the ministry so they can regulate its effects and distribution, just like you did with the love potions you sell though they are still stronger than they should."

"Don't know what you are talking about, they are perfectly supervised and approved by the regulation ministry itself every month." He sounded proud enough to foolish anyone but her. She rolled her eyes.

"I will give it to you, and you will cancel this stupid competition."

"But, Hermione-" She had an idea of his real reasons for all this nonsense, but she wanted to hear it from him. It was, after all, the real reason she had not hexed him from the start. "I… I still need someone to co-manage the store, someone that enjoys the job, just as much as I do."

"Just as much as you do? Or just as much as Fred did?"

"Hermione Granger, the most brilliant witch of her age, I have nothing to hide from you… I just miss him. The business was never thought to be managed by one person, it is so much work and effort… we bought Zonko's together a few days before the war, we didn't think… I can't, Hermione, not alone."

"End this nonsense and hire Ron, you know you actually want to, it is the right thing to do. Besides… it is called Weasley & Weasley, isn't it?"

"I would love to, he is my brother after all, but he has other plans, he is becoming an Auror next year, why would he take this job?"

"Are you kidding me? He literally drugged me for it! He wants the business to stay in the family and who cares if he becomes an Auror or not? Ron has survived seven years of friendship with the Boy-who-lived, fighting giant spiders and still approving at least half his classes, I am sure he will be able to handle both responsibilities." Both of them smiled at each other.

"… Then, it is a deal, you give me data enough to write an application to patent the potion and I hire Ron, immediately canceling the contest."

"There is one more little thing I'd like you to do."

"Quite ambitious lately, aren't we? Alright, I'm listening."

However, at that very moment, Professor Severus Snape had found his way inside the closed store, quietly moving around, looking for his prey. What a shock it was for him to see not one, but two Weasleys, and none of them was the one he was looking for.

"They are sure taking their time."

"What do you think they are doing inside there?"

"Ssssh… did you hear that?" Damn, the Weasley girl heard him; he hid behind a cupboard half destroyed, just what on earth were all of them doing there? He could've sworn the redhead was with Hermione and Ron, but the brunette was nowhere to be seen.

"It must be Harry." ' _The Potter boy is here too?'_ the question became rhetorical when he saw the boy quietly pointing at him with his wand a few feet in front of him, signing him to stay silent. There were no many options, it was one up three. The Gryffindor walked towards him and when he was close enough whispered in what he considered to be the creepiest moment of his life so far, with the boy he had bullied for seven years becoming his accomplice.

"What are you doing here, sir?" He had had the decency to call him sir, maybe Hermione was right and his opinion on the Greasy Git had changed; if only he wasn't pointing at him with his wand.

"I happen to be looking for an old acquaintance of you, George Weasley."

"What do you need him for?"

"I had no idea you were working as his secretary, Potter."

"Looking for a joke in particular maybe?"

"Something tell me you know what I am actually doing here, why don't you and both Weasleys over there move aside and let me do my job?"

"My apologies, sir, I thought your job was to teach potions, not sneak around abandoned joke stores." The man sneered; the same old disrespectful Potter was in front of him.

"Don't tell me you have decided to play in the Weasley's side, turning your back to poor Miss Granger; A pity what a skirt can make to a man." ' _So hypocritical'_ he thought to himself as the boy's face went into an enraged expression. He beheld as Harry breathed deeply countless times till recovering his calm face.

"Hermione is here, too. We have everything under control, and I think she doesn't want to see you." _'You have no idea, Potter'_ "So, why don't you leave, sir? We can handle George by ourselves, don't worry, he is not continuing with that competence."

"I'd like to hear that from him, if you were so kind."

"Fine… if you insist." Harry stepped back and into the sight of both siblings, with his wand and eyes still focused on the man hiding behind the cupboard. "HERMIONE! There is someone here who wants to see you and George!"

Ginny and Ron hurried to his side and gasped at the sight of the man fully alert in the corner, with Ron still being disarmed and Ginny fearing for his reasons to be there; Obviously not wanting his older brother to suffer too much.

"HERMIONE! HURRY UP!" For the moment the brunette got into the room, every wizard and witch was already prepared to hex the first one to move. Her eyes went wide, realizing what the man's presence could mean she also held her wand up.

"Professor Snape."

"Miss Granger, why don't you lower that wand and step aside? I have business with that-" he stopped, aware his words were not those of a teacher "-Weasley behind you."

"I already talked to him, everything is fixed, we can all go back to the school now."

"Oh, but I've just got here. It seems unfair, don't you think? You may have fixed your situation, but mine have not been even discussed."

"So it worked in you too?!" George broke the tension, sounding quite excited about the news of his potion working on his second biggest objective. Severus Snape didn't take it as a compliment, though, as he pushed Harry out his way and stood towering in front of Hermione, aware the girl was shielding the older Weasley.

"Let me show you just how much it worked. Move, Granger."

"I will make sure to make it up to you later, sir, but right now you need to calm down." His hand traveled to her shoulder with clear intentions of forcing her out his way as well, when his face went paler and his body hit the floor. George looked at the man, lying completely unconscious on the ground and raised his eyes to search for his savior. Much to his surprise, both his siblings and Harry were currently staring at Hermione.

"Hermione, you attacked a teacher." In spite of the concerned expression in everyone's faces, Harry was smiling wide; this was something he had been expecting to say for a very long time.

"I had no other choice, he was definitely going to hex him, if not kill him." She turned to see George, half her attention still on the man "You need to leave, George, as far as you can, do not come back till I tell you it is safe."

"But I really want to know what happened with him, Hermione, don't you see? This is big."

"You have two options; I wake him up so you can have a nice talk about what you did to this poor teacher who was minding his own business before being used as a guinea pig or you can leave now, I am feeling quite tempted for the first one."

"Ooook, I understand, it was nice to see you all, Ron, I'll send you the papers of the company by owl, you are going to love working here, bye Ginny, bye, Harry, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Hermione, bye." He said all of this while taking his wand from Hermione and summoning a briefcase, then he walked to the door and turned to say "Close the door when you leave." The slam was such a few boxes near fell and caused a mess of broken glass on the floor.

"… What did just happen?" Ron had the most confused expression Ginny had ever seen in him, and that was to say something. "What are we supposed to do now? Snape is going to kill us, all of us."

"Oh no, not all of us." Ginny saw as the brunette kneeled next to the Potions Master carefully removing some locks of hair from his face. "What do we do now, Hermione?"

"We take him back to the castle, and then you leave the talking to me, alone."

"You don't have to ask us twice." Harry helped the brunette to levitate the man through the same tunnel that got them there and they had to make a quite splendid job at teamwork to finally accomplish to get him to his office without getting caught, including stupefying him a second time when Ron noticed his brows starting to furrow.

Nevermind, it was already done, they had discovered the responsible for Hermione's luck and it was finally over. Finally. Over.

"You should probably get going; I have some things to explain to him."

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay around? He seemed quite angry before." Though Harry was sure he had no real idea of what had been happening in his nose during the last two weeks, he still was unsure if to completely believe Hermione's courage. Just how sure could she be that the man meant no real harm for her?

"Have you gone bunkers, Hermione? He is going to hex you for hexing him." Ron was by far the most worried.

"This wouldn't be the first time, he didn't hex any of us for that time in the shrieking shack, did he?" Things were getting difficult to talk; she trusted Ginny to explain just as much as necessary to Harry and Ron later, but she was uncertain if that would be enough to keep them calm, especially Ron who appeared to be close to a panic attack.

"Easy, boys, this has been a long day for Hermione, and she already has enough having to explain this to Snape for you two to be all over her with questions, so move. If she says she is alright alone, then she is alright." Ginny pushed both boys out of the office and turned to wink and eye on the girl, "Let me know if anything happens, I will keep these two busy." Finally closing the door, being extra careful not to make a sound.

Hermione stood there in the middle of the man's office, staring at his chest slowly going up and down with his soft breathing, completely laid on his own sofa, though he was much taller than her so his legs were hanging from it. She though for the second time in that day: _'Yes, how the tables have turned.'_

 **Thank you for the support and the comments on my grammar that help me to improve, and also for those who say it is understandable, it means a lot to me that you can comprehend the story in spite of the inconveniencies with the language, thank you.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

I was wondering if there was anyone out there interested in beta reading the couple chapters left for this story, or maybe advising on me how or where to get one. Thank you for any guidance on it.

 **Chapter 20:**

He didn't remember his ceiling to look that blurry, till he noticed it was not the ceiling but him. Severus Snape woke up on the sofa of his office, feeling his right hand in touch with the rough and uneven ground and his left leg completely numb because of the cramped position he had been lying on. The Potions Master blinked several times trying to clean his sight and adjust to the light, slowly sitting up and letting go a grunt, feeling his head pinching with grievous pain. Though the job of taking his hand to caress the sore spot was not really a challenge he found himself at a loss of words and utterly breathless at the realization of Miss Hermione Granger casually sitting on the coffee table in front of him, staring at his face like this was some routine she had gotten used to.

"I think your head hit the floor too hard, maybe I can help, here, let me help." The girl moved forward, reaching to touch him, but this didn't go welcomed by Snape who quickly smacked her hands away. "Or maybe not."

"What…?" After the first seconds of confusion, he started to remember: The slytherins, the veritaserum, the confession, the store, the Weasleys, the betrayal. "You had no right." His expression and tone abruptly hardened on her. "You let him go. You stupefied me and let him go!" Hermione observed his hands fiercely clutch to the edge of the sofa, as he was restraining himself to not tackle her down.

"I know you are upset, sir, I know. That's why I stopped you, a lot has happened, and right now you need to breathe and calm down… If you want to kill George, that's perfectly understandable, but not now, if you still want to kill him tomorrow morning, then I will personally bring him to you."

"Do you have an idea of what he did-?"

"You went through it once; I went through it multiple ones, I kissed Harry, enraged my best friends, betrayed Neville, lost points to my house, together with my reputation at Professor McGonagall's eyes, what did you lose, sir?"

"Ooooh, don't try to play that on me, you know what I did. You-" His breath was hitching and hard to catch "- If it weren't been you, that would've been… What if it was a first year?" Hermione's eyes went wide open and a slight blush colored her cheeks.

"You would've done that to a first year, sir? You would've? Seriously? Those instincts of you sure are-" He sneered, more as a sign of sarcasm than fury.

"I would've killed them, all of them; it is my main thought every time I have to repeat them not to stick their fingers in the shimmering cauldron." Hermione giggled and his expression finally softened just a bit, ' _I can work with this.'_

"George is lonely." Oh, there was his outraged expression again. "He lost someone very important for him."

"So what? Every person in this castle has lost someone important, there was a war, Miss Granger, but they do not go around entitled by it poisoning others. Do not give me that. Take Potter as an example, he-"

"Haven't you ever done anything bad because of grieving…? Something you regret?" She knew the answer, and she knew it was playing dirty, but he has shown himself quite proud of it earlier. "He just wanted to find a partner to share his time… he is confused and trying to replace him."

"… People cannot be replaced." Before she could apologize for touching such a sensitive topic for the man, clearly stated after his bitter display of the last sentence, he added "Especially not by such a contest, he was clearly getting a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor, Miss Silverian seemed possessed while talking about how badly she needed to win." Hermione looked puzzled by his change of attitude, unsure if the man was upset, sad or perfectly fine "I fear for the day Miss Silverian owns a joke store in company of a Weasley…"

"Don't worry, he will be working with Ron and the contest should be cancelled by now. It is over, sir." For some reason, the fact she had indicated the ending point bothered him. She was right, it was over. It was now his duty to inform her it was over in every possible way and extension of the word.

"It is, indeed…" There was a pause in which Hermione contemplated different ways to keep the conversation going, fearing for the man to end it and abruptly kick her out. Just at the moment she intended to speak, he added "We need to talk."

"We are already talking." His brows rose so high she thought they were going to leave his face flying, positively not amused by her comment. "… About us, isn't it?"

"I would not say… us, Miss Granger, what happened in the Potions Classroom cannot happen ever again, we have already risked too much, this cannot continue. Thus, I am asking you to please give up on the letter you are using to extortion me with. If you do, I may even overlook my still present desires to hunt down the Weasley twin." He stared at her with an expression never carried before; a strange mixture of true expectation and pleading.

"… I actually happen to agree, sir." Severus knew he had to feel relieved, but somehow there was a heavy feeling in his stomach and a knot forming in his throat. "I cannot continue to force or manipulate you… It is rather that or I switch into the Slytherin house, how is that phrase of you? By all means? Well, I cannot go on with that. You don't deserve it." There was a silence as she saw him swallow "Here, you can have the letter." Her hand went into her pocket, taking out a white envelope, she longed at it before handing it to the man, who pulled it up in a quick movement, like fearing to touch her fingers by accident. _'Nervous, Severus Snape is definitely nervous.'_ This idea of him showing a different side; weak and vulnerable, even if only for a fraction of minute, made her sickly happy. It was for her, and only for her.

"It is good to hear you have finally come to your senses. George Weasley may live other ten years before dying by accidentally joking himself to death." She was too busy thinking if this somehow funny comments of him were also only for her to even smile. "This is it, Miss Granger, you know your way out, I'll see-" His head didn't have time to finish turning to the door when he was interrupted.

"I like you." There was a long silence as the brunette contemplated and savored his baffled expression, never seen by any other student, only her.

"I think I made myself clear just now, and you agreed to it."

"You don't want me to stalk you, and you don't want us to make out in the Potions Classroom" He winced at this comment "I agree, it cannot happen again, not like that. But I still like you, and I still want you to like me back… I just think it is time to start doing things right."

"What do you mean by right?"

"Professor Severus Snape" She inhaled deeply, and he steeled, the girl was definitely preparing to do or say something unusual as she had proven herself perfectly capable of anything. "Would you honor me by allowing me to visit you once a week?"

After a full minute of silence, and Hermione's face completely serious and flat decaying in despair by every second, he finally chuckled.

"Don't laugh, sir, I am serious here. If you don't want to, then just say it plain and loud, you don't have to embarrass me."

"What was that?" The girl proceeded to open and close her mouth, unsure of what to say, she had been so confident a few seconds prior her question but right now she was a mess of nerves.

"I was just asking if I could visit you once in a while… formally, I mean, I guess I could actually come knocking on your door, but I wanted to know your opinion on it first."

"Miss Granger you do realize you are literally asking me if I would honor you with a visit after what we almost did this morning?" He was still truly smiling out of amusement; it was not a smirk, and not a sneer. It was a real and honest smile; the girl doubted if to be happy or scared by it.

"... Well, yes, you wanted us to go slower, didn't you? I guess… I guess it is actually funny, but you are clearly not into that and I already wore off my best weapons" she lifted her cloak, uncovering her still inappropriate clothes. "You are right; I wouldn't like to foolish myself to love you after two weeks of kindness and seven years of non stopping harassment. I don't know which one is the real you, and I couldn't bear the thought of attending classes after finding out about my terrible mistake. I still feel bad around Ron."

"Oh, if you fear for breaking my heart and me failing you because of it, then don't despair, I will have probably obliviated you so many times for that moment you would not even remember what we were fighting over." She wasn't sure if to laugh or feel insulted, was he talking seriously? The girl suddenly felt completely out of place, what if he was actually capable of obliviating her every time something went wrong? "It was a joke… and even if it wasn't, I trust you to find your memories back as soon as I turn around."

"I can cast an obliviation spell as well, you know that, right?"

"Are you threatening me, Miss Granger? Weren't you somehow asking me to honor you with a visit just now?" He enjoyed her use of the word 'honor' like it was a big deal to be around him.

"You are the one avoiding the question sir. I think I have been quite clear about my feelings. I like you, I just want to have some time to make sure I like the real you and not just an apotheosized version of you."

"Beg tell, Miss Granger, let's suppose I accept your offer… what would exactly happen in these visits of you?" He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and supporting his weight. This only helped to tense her as she hesitantly shifted in her place.

"Well, I… I am not sure; I was thinking we could do… things." His right brow rose in apprehension and her cheeks went red. "Not those kinds of things, I mean, if you want to, I guess… I guess we could, but I was not really thinking in that."

"What kind of things then? I am not following the conversation so far."

"Anything you would feel comfortable with, maybe sharing a book, preparing a potion or having dinner, anything we could do together."

"I am exceedingly intrigued by why you think I would enjoy preparing a potion during my free time…" The girl felt extremely stupid, that was his job, in that moment she realized just how poor knowledge of the man she had. "But the other two options do sound interesting." Her hands traveled to her face, trying to hide the grin that was growing as she was sure the man would consider her to be a silly infatuated girl, but not being able to control her joy over this small triumph.

"Is that a yes? What day would be okay for you? Would you like me to bring any book in particular? I do not have access to the Hogwarts kitchen, but I guess I could bring some food from the Great Hall and we could-"

"This is not a date, Miss Granger, you don't need to over think every step you take; not everything in life is planning. However, I do appreciate your always so diligent effort. Just bring anything you would like to share, for I believe that to be the purpose of these… visits. You shall not expect me to be really talkative or open to share my private life with you, though, I will certainly listen to you." She nodded; the girl was taking anything he would offer.

"That is perfectly fine, I like challenges, I still have almost eight months left to learn about you and get you to share with me. Just wait, for the end of this term I will have already written your biography." She grinned, confident on herself and he softened his expression to grant a slight smile before frowning once more.

"Before you leave, I'd like to state some rules clear… I am accepting your company, Miss Granger, nothing more and nothing less, which involves you following the Hogwarts dress code every time you come, and not intending for anything… out of place to happen between us." His tone didn't go unnoticed, it was evidently to keep her fantasies on line "You are still a student, and like the student you are you shall behave like that. You will not comment on any of these to any of your so called friends, Hogwarts is permanently hungry for gossips and I am in no need of misconceptions of your visits." She had nodded to these rules of him, as they made perfect sense so far. "And… if at any point, you or I feel uncomfortable with the course of actions we will let the other part know and immediately put an end to it, no buts. Understood?"

"Bu-" Hermione had obviously something to add to that last rule, for she thought every problem to have a solution and was willing to fight for a second opinion.

"What did I just say? No buts."

"We could talk things over if anything ha-"

"NO buts, Miss Granger, take it or leave it."

"… Fine, if at any point I make you feel uncomfortable you can tell me and I will stop coming."

"I trust you to do the same. I remind you, you barely know me, it may take only a few days for you to actually despise me and if it happens, say it as soon as possible because I do not have time to lose with social relations that go nowhere." The brunette felt forced to praise him by denying this, insisting she would not stop adoring his every move, but it was actually highly possible.

"I will." Finally, she let go of her final answer with a sigh. He leaned his head to the side, sealing their agreement.

"Now… I believe your friends to be waiting for you somewhere else, expecting to get news from you. Please, find your way out, as I also should go and explain Minerva how I failed to catch an incompetent twit, maneuvering through her questions to avoid mentioning how any of you got involved as she will most surely behold expulsion as an option after listening how her name was being targeted as well." He signed at the door, finishing his sentence and idea. Hermione glared at the door and then back at him, it didn't go exactly as planned, but he was right, not everything could be planned, thus she just stood and flattened her cloak around her hips.

"Thank you for not giving us away, you continue to care after us even now, it is a pity how unpleased you would be if I told the guys about your good nature." He just nodded, acknowledging her to be right. "Good bye, sir."

"See you next Friday, Miss Granger." She smiled at him from the door, already looking forward that day.

"See you next Friday, sir."

The moment the girl left he started questioning his own decision; things could get a lot complicated. The idea of a young and beautiful girl fancying him was not just absurd but thrilling and for someone who had spent half his life risking his neck on a daily basis he could actually use some exciting experiences on his routine. On the other hand, he knew that there was an extremely big chance for the girl to recover lucidity, and send everything to hell. He could manage it, of course, but it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt, especially not if she planned to continue acting ever so charming. The letter on his left hand captured his attention, he wondered just how 'meticulously detailed' it could be. The man used his wand to open it with extreme care, fearing to activate the spell and sending it by accident to every remaining student in the castle.

' _Dear Hermione,_

 _If you are reading this, it means Professor Snape has once again obliviated you. Don't be upset, he had his reasons. I write this for you to remember you what a gentleman he has been so far, have this in mind as I proceed to tell you exactly what happened:_

 _In the morning of Thursday 29_ _th_ _he was drugged with a potion so strong he left the Great Hall in the middle of Professor McGonagall's speech. You followed him to his office and in a complete lack of self control you took advantage of his moment of weakness; he believes to have forced himself upon you, having his way, what actually happened. But he didn't force anything, as I am sure you are quite aware of how his touch makes you feel; it was you, you had several chances to stop his hands, to knock him unconscious, to bite his tongue off or even to kick him and flee, but you decided to stay there and enjoy yourself at his expense. He is scared and ashamed, so he has obliviated you once again. I would tell you to go looking for your memories to his quarters, but I already have and he is not stupid, your memories have been probably erased for good this time._

 _I will not go into details, as I am sure your dreams will be just as vivid as mine the first time he decided to elicit that part of our lives; consider them a mirror of what actually happened._

 _Please, be nice to him, I am about to do something insane and I don't know how mad he will be after it._

 _Best regards,_

 _You.'_

Severus Snape went through the letter several times, finally leaning back, reclining his still sore head on the sofa, closing his eyes and thinking what he could've possibly done so right to deserve any of this. He would worry about the girl being disgusted by his horrid personality when it happened; right now he just wanted to focus on her dress code violation.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Special thanksto The Ultimate Undesirable for being the beta reader for this chapter. It helped me a lot.

 **Chapter 21:**

It was on October 31, during the Halloween feast, that Harry noted for the first time how much attention his friend paid to the high table. He came to notice how she had left all of her usual books in her satchel to purely focus on some unclear spot around the staff.

"Hermione" The boy decided to try to call her name, worrying for her reasons to be so attentive.

"Yes, Harry?" She turned to direct him the attention he deserved.

"Are you sure everything is okay with Snape?"

"Yes, 'Mione, you sure he said he was not reporting me to McGonagall?" Ron was clearly the most exalted, completely aware of the wrath of the Potions Master towards him.

"I convinced him to stay quiet about you being involved, Ron. So… I think that he has tried to the best of his abilities to protect… us, all of us, and it seems it worked; Professor McGonagall doesn't look particularly enraged right now." The brunette was actually expecting for the woman to look at least upset, but she held a calm and relieved expression instead.

"Hermione, I wouldn't like to make a scene, please understand this comment is out of concern, but… Don't you think maybe his reasonable and his oh-so-compassionate compromise has something to do with your clothes? Because seriously, 'Mione, you went to the dungeons with that skirt, and Snape is not blind, he might as well-" her eyes began to travel down her cloak, trying to cover herself as much as physically possible. Though her inner clothes had long been changed she could feel the embarrassment heating her cheeks.

"What's your problem, Ron? Are you implying Hermione went intentionally dressed like that to the dungeons to seduce Professor Snape so he would spare your life? Do you really think Hermione would expose herself like that after what you did to her? Do you, Ronald Weasley?" Though Ginny's tone was full of resentment for his own brother, Hermione caught her grinning for enough time to get her implication. "And most importantly, do you really think that man, over there-" the brunette's heart almost escaped her mouth when Ginny pointed at the Potions Master not caring at all about getting undesired attention "-fell for it? Severus Snape, head of the Slytherin House, decided to forgive you in exchange of this sort of favor?" It was clearly not only a shock for the young witch, but for Ron as well, who desperately tried to lower Ginny's arm while half hiding with Harry's figure.

"I understand, I understand! C'mon, Ginny! Stop it already! I am sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to, GINNY! Stop it!" Finally, the redhead smiled and lowered her arm, looking pretty content with her actions, "Jeez, Ginny! Now he is looking this way, if I wake up dead tomorrow morning it will be your fault!"

"Oh, don't worry; I am sure Hermione can persuade him again to ignore it…" Ron and Ginny were too busy glaring at each other to notice how Hermione was softly smiling at the baffled man, trying to express a complete conversation and excuse with her eyes. They didn't notice, but Harry did.

It was on November 4 that Hermione impressed Professor Snape by handing him, together with Neville, a bottle of veritaserum. He accepted it while inspecting it with expert but suspicious eyes.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" Hermione asked, being aware of the man's reasons to look confused. He had seen her drink her own project a couple days before. While she was standing completely still, Neville appeared to be close to fainting.

"… No, nothing at all. I actually believe this to be well brewed; I will have to look at it closer, thought. You may leave." Neville hurried to fetch his book, while Hermione stepped forward, speaking in almost a whisper.

"I always make sure to prepare two samples, in case something happens to the first one. We cannot have people believing you to have preferences with some students, can we?" With that said she turned on her heels and followed Neville outside.

Snape smirked, she was clever indeed.

It was on November 5 that Hermione visited by previous agreement Professor Snape, holding a book, her satchel and dressing her school uniform completely in rule.

"Come in." The authorization came before long and she opened her way to the office.

"Evening, sir." She stayed in the middle of the room, waiting for any further instruction, with the man sitting in his desk and scanning her body. Anyone could've thought it was a longer than necessary look but she knew he was actually looking for any reason to dismiss her. Not finding any, he finally signaled her to take a seat in front of him.

"Tell me, Miss Granger, what have you decided for today?"

"Well… I have spent a long time thinking what could allow us to know if we are actually compatible without taking all the remaining term." The man seemed affected by the word 'compatible', raising a brow, silently inquiring what exactly her intentions with the visits were. "You know, to see if I actually like you, if this could work."

"This? Miss Granger, would you mind telling me exactly what you expect to work?"

"I'd love to, but I am afraid that if I tell you right now, you will freak out and retreat back to your solitude, so I'd rather not."

"… Very well, continue."

"I wanted to ask you for a deal, but please listen until the end; every time I come I can help you with whatever you need. I am conscious of how busy you are, and I don't want you to get stressed because of me stealing your precious time. That just won't do. Once everything is in order and you assure me you have no other responsibilities that are being postponed, I will share something about me with you. Or I may as well share it while we work, if you think you can handle both." Snape sneered, half insulted, half amused by her implication of him unable to handle more than one task at a time "In exchange… you will answer me one question." The man remained silent, considering her offer, it seemed reasonable and generous: assistance and company in exchange for one small piece of information. But that was the thing, just how small?

"Beg tell, what kind of question would that be?"

"Something about you obviously; small things that I don't know, like your birthday, your favorite book, your favorite… color." Before he could say anything the girl added "and I do not consider black to be a color." He closed his mouth and snorted, _'funny'_.

"Alright… it seems fair, I will accept this deal of you on one condition."

"Which is…?"

"I get to ask you a question as well, I wouldn't like you telling me nonsensical facts about you while you have me confessing my darkest secrets." Hermione smiled confident on herself and offered the man her hand; he took it and it became an oath.

"Dark secrets, eh?"

"Don't push your luck, Granger, I still can say I am uncomfortable and kick you out my office."

"Yes, sir." There was an awkward silence, product of her aggravation. Till the man decided she had suffered enough.

"What is that book you are holding?"

"Oh, this? Well… it is one of my favorite books; I brought it thinking in sharing it with you, though I really think you wouldn't like it."

"Why don't you read it to me while I finish checking your classmates' pitiful efforts at veritaserum? Then I will tell you if I like it or not." The girl's eyes glittered and she reached her satchel to place some biscuits on the table.

"We can finally enjoy the food from the Great Hall without worrying."

"Oh, Miss Granger, please don't tell me you ever thought of me as a cook. You never stopped having the same food as everybody else in the castle. The only thing I did was ask a house elf to directly select you some food from the kitchen. I never cooked anything." He worried for the girl to have wrongly considered him to be way more chivalrous than he actually was.

"Of course I knew, sir. Don't you remember I used the same trick to send you that letter? I literally waited awake for the house elf to apparate so I could ask her the favor. That is actually one of the reasons I like you. She was so lovely and gave me all of her attention while I explained her how her master was in distress and she offered to do anything to help. I think it says a lot about you." He made a mental note to reward that house elf later. "So… are you ready for my reading?"

"As ready as can be."

They spent the following hour working and reading, taking small breaks to make comments on the book or discuss the appropriate mark to be placed on the paper, next to the potion sample. Till one question that Snape tried to pass as insignificant, but didn't go unnoticed by the girl.

"Say, Miss Granger, just how old are you?" She stopped her reading to look at him, his quill still moving over a parchment.

"Would you worry if I say I am still seventeen?" He froze and slowly left the quill to the side to focus on her.

"You cannot be."

"I am not; I am asking you if you would worry."

"I would, if you were. But you cannot be, so… how old are you again?"

"I turned nineteen in September."

"See? Was that so hard to say from the beginning?"

"How about you, sir?" The girl sat straight, as still as she could, fearing for the man to kick her out any minute. "How old are you?" He remained silent for enough time for the girl to worry about having disrespected her ever-so-proud teacher. "If you don't want to-"

"… Thirty." There was a small pause, in which Hermione didn't move an inch "… eigth." He leaned back, waiting for the girl's reaction towards it, maybe with that number she would finally realize how messed up all this game was. He waited for a disappointed 'oh', for some sign of regret, but there was none.

"Thank you for your honesty, I feared you may have tried to lie to me."

"How can you be so sure I am not lying?"

"Oh, well… hope you don't mind, but it was simple mathematics. If you and Harry's mom studied together, then it was logical both of you-" She continued talking, but what she said went unheard as Snape was too busy thinking about what she said. Just how much did the girl know about him? About his personal life? About Lily? For a moment he came back to reality when he realized the girl was still talking. Thought it was now about an even more unpleasant topic, "Remus also talked about you a few times, so I am only to assume you were all from the same generation, I've always considered it to be a-"

"Beg your pardon," Snape interrupted. "What did Lupin say about me?" From all the marauders, he always had considered Remus to be the most reasonable one. At least until now, when he feared for the man to have stepped over his already damaged reputation, in the eyes of the witch he currently cared the most.

"Nothing important, just some stories." She immediately realized her mistake and tried to turn the conversation in a different direction "Maybe you could tell me about your favorite book now." But a slam on the table startled her causing her to blink quickly.

"Don't make me use legeremens in you, Granger. I've been this close too many times, one more reason and I will bend your mind to a pit of-" He hissed through his teeth, stopping by the sight of the girl shrinking in her seat, growing in fear to his respond. The marauders always got the worst of him, even in death. The man beheld as the girl seemed to get smaller and smaller, with her eyes suddenly fluttering to the desk, hiding from him.

"Do you want me to leave now?" His heart pinched, the girl sounded next to tears. He did it; he managed to end everything in only one day. Both his hands covered his face and ran through his hair, letting a heavy sigh.

"Miss Granger…"

"I think I should- " She was leaving, she was definitely leaving.

"Please, don't." Hermione raised her head and sobbed quietly. The man was still holding his head, eyes nailed to the desk.

"I upset you, I didn't mean to, but I did, and you were clear about it, no buts-" Tripping with her own words, she attempted to explain what she was sure was to happen.

"Please, don't go." Unlike him, he swallowed his pride and asked her to stay.

"You aren't upset?"

"I am, but not with you. I assume you didn't go around Lupin begging him to tell you stories about me. He shouldn't have." She was much calmer now; realizing she didn't mess everything up in the first night. It was not sadness what afflicted her; it was the feel of working so hard to fail at the first attempt.

"I still can tell you what he said about you… it was nothing really important, though. I just didn't want to say it because I know it is not your favorite topic of conversation… but if I tell you, you have to promise me to never use legeremens on me, not without my consent. I am not fond of a relationship based on distrust, I have nothing to hide." The main answer in his head was _'we are not in a relationship'_ , but he was still too curious about the rumors about him running along the Order.

"As long as you promise not to hide important information from me, I swear to never use legilimency on you without your consent…" Hermione found herself smiling trusting his word.

"He used to tell Harry stories about the marauders and in a few of them he mentioned you to be this hum… weird frenemy? Some sort of stupid relationship between males that I will never understand. Like with Harry and Draco. They hate each other, but they still cannot ignore each other. He always looked a bit sad while talking about your past; he had you in great esteem."

"I hardly think so."

"He knew you would say that."

After it, and in a desperate attempt to keep the conversation flowing, avoiding the girl to remember how unnerved he acted, he asked her to continue with her reading. In spite of pleasing him, Snape spent the rest of the time more focused on the rather monotonous tone of her voice than the words or his own work. About another hour later, the girl closed her book, though she hadn't even reached one quarter of it and commented on how late it was. Snape acknowledged the time and escorted her to the door, considering the possibility for this to be a permanent good bye. He opened the door for her, and she stayed in the entrance, looking up to him for enough time to make him feel awkward.

"Sir."

"Yes?" It was coming; she was finally recognizing how erratic his temper was.

"When do you think I could come again?" He suppressed a gasp, the girl never stopped to surprise him.

"… How about every Friday?"

"I would love to, any day, actually. I really enjoyed today's evening." He was confused; didn't they just somehow have a fight? Like she was a legilimen she quickly added "I know it was not perfect, but I trust both of us can continue to work in our –hum- situation... I should've known better than to talk that much."

"Nonsense. It was I who failed to control my temper." The girl shook her head and grazed up his arm softly deciding to try her luck. When she was sure the man was not pushing her away or smacking her hand as previous times, she ventured to grab him by his robe around his upper arm.

"I just continued to touch sensitive topics for you in the first day. I will be more careful next time." She had managed to slowly get closer to him while his thoughts were still processing her firm hold of his arm. Before his eyes could go back to her face, the girl rose on her tip toes and kissed him gently on the cheek. She breathed heavily, staring up at him, waiting for the scolding to come; but it didn't. There was just silence as the man went wordless. "Was that… was that okay?"

"Yes, I believe it was acceptable." He gestured the last word in an overdramatic way that caused the brunette to grin. The Potions Master was left alone at the entrance of his own office, hastily caressing his left arm as she walked away.

It was on November 6th that Hermione learned about Professor Snape's favorite food and it was on November 13th that Professor Snape allowed Hermione to visit him twice a week. It was November 20th when Hermione found out when Snape's birthday was, and it was on November 27th that Hermione ventured to ask the man about his plans for Christmas.

"I do have plans…" he started and the disappointment was impossible to hide on Hemione's face "… they consist mainly of having dinner at the Great Hall forced by Minerva, so I can go back to my room and sleep early. I am really looking forward that week." She let go a chuckle out of relief. "May I ask you the same? Family meeting or dinner with the Weasleys, perhaps?"

"Well… hum, yes and no. I was actually invited to have dinner with Ron's family, but, I-hum…" the girl avoided as much as possible his gaze "I was wondering if you would be interested in spending the Holidays with me."

Years as an occlumen allowed him to keep his face as inexpressive as usual, though he was suddenly overwhelmed by multiple feelings: happiness, excitement, fear, concern. Was she expecting him to somehow appear as her company in the middle of all the Weasleys? Would he have the guts? Or even worse, was she formally inviting him to meet her parents?

"I was thinking I could stay here in the castle, and we could spend some time together… there will not be many students and perhaps we could do something outside your office. It is not like I do not like it here, but, well, hum- Of course, all of this is just in case you want me to stay." He wasn't sure if to feel relieved or guilty, the young witch was sacrificing her own social life for him.

"Wouldn't the Weasleys miss you? And by miss you I mean to wonder why you would stay in the castle alone." She finally looked back at him, after piercing a random wall out of nerves for about five minutes.

"Oh yes, they may wonder why I stayed… but I could always make something up, like working in a project or studying for my N. E. W. T. s. To be honest, I am sure Harry would just assume I am avoiding Ron in these important and sensitive holidays, and Ron may feel bad, but it would be for the best. Things would be really awkward… his parents still call me daughter." Snape tried to hide his disgust for it, but he was the one who asked, after all.

"How about your parents? Aren't you paying them a visit?"

"… I hardly think they would even notice." Her voice softened, and he recognized the sadness hiding in it.

"Their precious –real- daughter is staying at school instead of visiting them. I am sure they would at very least notice."

"If only they recognized me as their daughter."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, well… you see, I erased every memory of me from their minds last year. It was not just a small event, I couldn't just bottle seventeen years up, and so there is no chance for them to ever remember me." The girl felt the knot in her throat tightening, and hoped for the man to not show any interest in the matter, so her distress could go unnoticed. Meanwhile the man struggled to find any words capable of comfort her. "You don't need to worry, they are safe and sound. I've visited them several times and we keep in touch." Though she was talking with a smile in her face, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"But how…?"

"They think I am a poor girl from the countryside who won a scholarship to study in a near college. We 'met' in the supermarket. I happen to be a terrific actress, I guess." She giggled and wiped her cheek.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It is ok, you didn't know it. Besides, they are really nice to me; they sometimes send me letters inviting me over and asking me how my studies are going." She sobbed, always smiling. "They actually sent me a Christmas letter, asking me if I had where to spend the holidays, I think they may be thinking in inviting me for dinner, but that would be-"

"Stay." She immediately stopped talking and sobbing. Did she hear correctly? "I fail to see why you would enjoy Christmas with me, I do not hold any special activity, and I consider going outside together to be a terrible idea, as Minerva is surely to hex my bollocks off for her eyes I am nothing but a predator. In spite of all of this; stay with me." Her mouth opened slightly in surprise, and her eyes traveled to his lips. "I know nothing about Christmas spirit, so we might as well do whatever you suggest." She could've kissed him. He was adorable.

"Someone should tell Professor McGonagall how wrong she is." The man furrowed his eyes in confusion. "I believe it is quite clear who is the real predator between us two." Snape had no record of the girl looking cockier, and that was to say something. He left her have it, anything to avoid seeing her sad.

It was on December 11 that Professor Snape fell asleep on his desk, victim of a tiresome week and Hermione's soft voice telling stories about dragons and evil witches, muggle versions of their world. She covered him with a blanket as he did for her many times and finished all his paperwork before waking him up to send him to bed. The Potions Master apologized for his lack of propriety and thanked her for not dragging him to the bed herself.

It was on December 14 that Professor Snape requested the weirdest thing from the girl.

"A picture?" her eyes open in astonishment "A picture of what?" Completely immobile he hissed through his teeth, as calm as he could.

"Of you." He answered simply. The girl scrutinized his expression. Was he for real? Then realizing he actually meant it, she let go a giggle.

"A picture of me? Why?" Hermione asked.

"I cannot tell."

"You cannot tell me or you don't want to?" She questioned for clarification.

"I cannot." He stated.

"What you would possibly need a picture of me for?" She was trying to think in a reasonable explanation for this request. If it were not Snape, but any other man or boy, the answer would be much simpler.

"I cannot tell you, now are you giving it to me, or not?" Snape huffed to the image of the almost hysterical smile on her face that was three tones redder than usual. He was clearly being misunderstood.

"What if I give it to you as a Christmas present?"

"That won't do. I need it as soon as possible."

"But why?" She was just getting more and more curious, half her body already hurled on the desk, looking for any hints in his face and getting closer with every question.

"I. Can. Not. Say. You are really making this way harder than I thought, you know."

"What? You thought you were going to ask me for it and I would just take it from my pocket without question? I do not have many pictures of me… none, actually. If you need it so badly, I am sure Professor McGonagall must have a few in the registers."

"Let's suppose for a minute that I actually go bunkers and decide to ask Minerva for a picture of you, the student she still thinks I am madly in love with, and let's pretend for another minute that she agrees to give it to me. It wouldn't do either."

"Why not?" She secretly enjoyed the idea of the Headmistress having the roles reversed, even as a rumor. He often found herself wondering what would Professor Snape do if he was the one madly in love.

"Body." He winced at his own answer, confusing the girl.

"Body?"

"Hogwarts registers only contain facial pictures of the students. I need the body." Now her face became five times redder than before, followed by another giggle.

"You want a picture of my body?" He took a deep breath, bitterly regretting even attempting this mission. He should've just taken the picture hidden in a bush as a proper stalker even that would be less humiliating.

"Miss Granger, I assure you I have no defiled or depraved intentions for it."

"If you had them, would you tell me?" She asked cheekily, lifting her weight from the desk and defying him to speak the truth.

"…if you don't agree to the idea of me having a picture of you, say it. It would be perfectly understandable."

"I don't have any." The man was to finally retreat, but she continued leading her head sporting a mischievous smile. "But if you find a camera, I will let you take it."

"… Fine."

"On one condition." He lifted his arm and closed his eyes, controlling the urge to smack the desk out of frustration.

"Which would be…?"

"I want a picture of you too." Then he hit the table, not with annoyance but shock.

"Beg your pardon?"

"You can take as many pictures of me as you want, for whatever purpose, if and only if you allow me to have one of you."

"And what would you like a picture of me for?"

"Cannot tell." The girl smiled triumphant while the man held his breath out of anger.

"Fine" he finally spat "I happen to have a camera, we'll do it tomorrow evening."

"Why not now?" The mystery was just increasing.

"It is part of the lab inventory, and it is too late to go looking for it. I have to patrol in about an hour." It was a small hint that he was already too tired and uncomfortable to continue discussing the topic. He wanted her to leave. As the girl didn't move an inch, the potions master rose from his chair and surrounded the desk, finally understanding the girl followed him, but before leaving she grabbed his arm to stop him from opening the door yet.

"What should I wear?"

Silence, he wasn't expecting that question. He did have a vague idea of an answer, but was sure that even with the girl being infatuated; it would be crossing a line that could easily gain him a slap in the face; at least for his most honest answer.

"And then, sir? What should I wear? Would my uniform be suitable? Or maybe something different… you already know about my clothes. I don't have anything too showy, just my –hum- dress code violation."

"Yes." She flushed for the third time in that evening.

"You want me to-"

"Yes, your uniform will be suitable enough."

"Dress or pants?" Oh, now she was just teasing him, completely aware of how tense he had gone.

"Granger…" Oh, that was how he called her when he was unpleased. Considering it enough for a night, she rose on her toes and kissed him goodbye in the cheek, quickly opening the door and moving away from his possible grasp.

"Skirt it is! See you tomorrow, sir!" The girl left running, sporting what Snape had previously considered to be a silly but lovely smile.

In December 15 Hermione presented herself in her cloak, scarf, hat and even gloves in the middle of her potions professor's office.

"Here I am, with my uniform." She beamed as it was clearly not what he was expecting and the girl knew it. He wasn't giving her the satisfaction of requesting her to take anything off. He already had had enough of her attitude the day before. Instead of saying anything he silently casted a warming spell and waited for it to take effect, as it heated the room slowly.

"Miss Granger, please take a seat." The girl did as she was told and gave him a smile waiting further instructions or comments concerning her outfit.

"Did you bring the camera?"

"Indeed." The Potions Master gazed at the artifact located on one corner of the big desk.

"Do you really know how to use it? Mind if I ask you what kind of pictures do you take?"

"It is not necessary to periodically use something to know how it works… Take your common sense as an example." Her mouth opened in indignation, he was still Snape, nicer, yes, but still Snape. She attributed the increase of heat to her exasperation and proceeded to take off her gloves and scarf. He smirked; it was just a matter of time.

"Are we taking the pictures or we are waiting for something?" She fanned herself with her hand, regretting her decision to bother the man with her excessive clothing.

"Ever so impatient, Miss Granger." She shifted in her seat, fighting her urges to rip her own cloak off. How could the man remain so fresh?

"Is it just me or it is hotter?" The man just frowned and acted innocent. He has worn an excess of clothes for most of his life, this was nothing. The girl couldn't take it any longer and stood to take her cloak off; frustrated by it she threw it hotly to the floor, together with her hat, making a mess of her hair, then she raised her head to see the man with the camera in his hands.

"Lovely."

"Did you-" she panted "Did you take that?!"

"I was just waiting for you to stand up and you did."

"Oh no" she breathed deeply, stopping her panting but still feeling hot. "I wasn't ready. Take another one."

"That won't be necessary, this one is fine."

"But that-" Hot, so hot. She worried for her health, but she guessed it was her fault for daring wear so many clothing inside the already warm office. The girl couldn't take it any longer and took off her cardigan; there was nothing else to be taken without offending the man. Then, he smirked, that was the moment she realized something was off.

"That will do, Miss Granger." He had left the camera on the desk and retreated back to his chair.

"But it is so hot, don't you feel it? I am melting." It was still hot, the spell stills working and her hair becoming sticky. She undid her tie and sent it on top of her cloak and cardigan in the floor. The man reclined in his chair, not intimidated yet.

"We are done; you may leave now." He had just undone the spell the moment he sat down, why was the girl still undressing? It was taking longer than expected for her body to recover its normal temperature.

"I can…" she panted and sat on the edge of the coffee table, undoing a couple buttons from her shirt, the temperature was dropping by she had serious suspicions on the man to have casted a spell, and after one month the girl had learned for sure some tricks to break the man. "I cannot, you still owe me a picture of you" one less button "and I demand to have a better one of myself" two less buttons "or at least see the one you already took." Three less buttons, and she stopped to measure the man's mood. His jaw had fallen open and she caught her staring at her cleavage before looking up to her face.

"I think you should leave." He said suddenly.

"You promised to give me a picture of you." She teased him, lifting her hands back to the next button. "I am not going anywhere without it." He didn't answer, instead gave her a death glare, challenging to continue, and she did; one more and her underwear would be visible.

"Here." He used his wand to send her the picture previously taken. Hermione took it from the air and appreciated herself; clumsily and desperately removing her cloak and throwing it to the floor, had she ever looked as gracelessly as in that piece of paper? The small motion started over again.

"I look awful! Take another one."

"With you dressing like that? Of course not."

"You are not taking another picture of me, you are not giving me one of you; thus, I am going nowhere." She stomped her foot; stating how serious she was. "I came here with my uniform in outstanding conditions, and you didn't take it. You waited for me to look awful!" Hermione had gone with her best disposition, but now she was getting nothing in return, and was being played with. She buffed and ripped the picture multiple times. "Now you will have to take another one."

"… You should not have done that." Snape let go a grunt and slammed the desk in the process of standing up, picking up the camera in a sharp movement and taking a second photo. He observed the girl trying to compose herself for it, as fast as she could, but it didn't save her from looking shocked and in fear for the first second. He heard her demanding to see the second picture over and over, but his attention was in his own hands; that take wouldn't do, he needed another one. Snape threw both the camera and the photo on his desk and turned to look at the girl who had moved from the middle of the room to right behind him, and was currently throwing a tantrum., something with no precedent.

"Let me see it, you have been playing with me all night, I don't care how I look in that one, you can have it, just let me see… it." Her words became softer and thinner as the man reached for her shirt, grabbing her firm and causing her to jump in her tiptoes. "What are you doing…?" He grabbed both extremes of the fabric around the undone buttons, in permanent touch with her breasts and lowered his head to be next to her ear.

"I am not a patient man, Miss Granger." The hot air of his breath sent shivers to her spine as the place had gotten really cold without her noticing. While talking he pulled the fabric around the lowest undone button and he buttoned it up with masterful ability. "And if you continue to test me, it is just a matter of… time." He fastened the second button, "Before you pay the consequences." With every intentionally rough movement the girl could felt him pressing against her breasts, clouding her thoughts and making the threatening voice much worse. "It is time for you to realize…" Only one button needed fastened and her eyes were tightly closed "who is the real predator in the room." Surprisingly, he didn't even touch the last button, but instead he moved back taking his time to enjoy the effect of his voice and touch in the shorter girl that left her shivering and trembling.

"Please…"

"Make yourself clear, Granger" His hands still clutched around her shirt. Instead of a verbal answer the girl just opened her eyes and stared up at him, she wrapped her grip around his arms to make sure he was going nowhere and slowly rose in her toes, waiting for the man to move back any minute, mad and infuriated. But he didn't, his eyes locked in hers, till her sight went down to his lips, one second later it was him who held her against him, his hands traveled from her shirt to her neck and waist and his mouth pressed against hers.

In spite of having previous experience with kissing, the girl found herself unsure of what to do, or where to touch; She always knew what Ron wanted and she didn't have to worry about what to do during the previous encounters with the Potions Masters, but now… now he had looked quite dangerous just a few minutes before. Was she even allowed to touch him back? His tongue opened its way in, and her thoughts became blurred and the room started to get hotter than it previously was.

The young witch could've sworn she felt the man's body reacting to their kiss against her belly, and decided to take her chances and embrace him by the neck. However, the moment her fingers went in touch with his shoulders the Potions Master pushed her away, eyes clouded and his breathing heavy. He was still in better condition than her, as she stood panting and gasping before him.

"Leave." Snape demanded.

"But I thought-"

"Leave now."

"What about the photo?"

"I will not ask a third time."

She opened her mouth, but it was just full of air, still fearing for the man's reactions, he was right, she was nothing but a small rabbit in the den of a wolf. The man swallowed hard and stepped forward, grabbing the girl by the arm and pulling her to the door, she left her there and filled her arms with her cloak and other belongings previously discarded on the floor.

"I will manage it." With a final push she was out the office and the door was slammed closed. The Gryffindor prefect stayed there, in the middle of the dungeons with her uniform being a mess and a few minutes past curfew. Being completely bewildered not only for what just happened, but how the heck she permanently found herself breaking rules, her; at least she was not Head Girl, that would've been a disgrace.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

I am sorry for dying for such a long time, it was an unexpected hiatus because of personal reasons, but now I am back. Hope there is still someone interested on it after such a long time.

 **Chapter 22:**

On December 20 Snape fantasized with the idea of murdering another Weasley, while Ron hanged himself around Hermione as a goodbye. That boy still had some interest in the Gryffindor. His Gryffindor. He could easily judge based on how often he had found Ron staring at the girl during potion lessons or giving her small details disguised as apologies. But he shook the thought from his mind, Hermione didn't seem to realize this and even if she did, it was her choice only.

On December 21 Hermione and Snape spent the complete day together, allowing the girl to ask unusual questions.

"Have you really read all of these books?" The man had previously allowed her to go around the office touching anything that wasn't labeled as dangerous or inside a cupboard. Thus she found great pleasure roaming around analyzing his belongings.

"Of course not, I do not have that time, especially not now." The girl turned to see him intrigued by his lack of time, "I never had to worry about visits." She smiled and faced the bookshelf once more.

"What about this one? Have you read it?" the girl held up a new looking book, it was actually the one she had previously read while hiding in his office.

"Where did you find it?"

"At the very top of this bookshelf, it was very hard to reach."

"I will explain you the organization of my office, so you do not go around asking me for each small detail or getting your fingers stuck in dangerous places." She blushed, feeling stupid to his eyes. It was clear he considered her nothing but a clumsy child. "All potion or academic books are placed in the middle of the bookshelves, granting easy access as they are the most constantly used, then at the top there are those books I have whether finished reading and enjoyed or soon to be finished. Finally, at the bottom there are those I do not particularly find interesting."

"If you don't like them, then why do you keep them? Aren't they using a lot of space?"

"For the same reason there is a sofa in my office." Her eyes traveled to it, he was right; the one time she actually had seen him using it was when she left him unconscious. "They were gifts." Hermione felt her stomach flutter with complex emotions, jealousy maybe?

"Gifts? From whom?"

"Albus" Snape was confused by the sight of the girl letting go a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore… Did he give you so many things?"

"I wouldn't say give exactly… He just spent a ridiculous amount of his time in here. He used to come every time in a while, bring some random book, start reading it in that sofa, ask me a lot of questions about my personal life and then leave… the book always left behind on that table, also brought by him." Hermione took a few minutes to compare herself with the old man, they seemed to share the same routine, "I just collected and occasionally read them; I came to notice he was doing it on purpose as some attempt to 'release my stress' , bonding with others, giving me light novels to read, among others… "

"Did it work?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, being interrogated by my boss about my sexual life did help me…" he suddenly opened his eyes, in a realization of the atrocity he just said. He didn't mean to, he got carried away by the conversation. The girl was fiercely blushing and frozen next to the bookshelf. "Forget I even said that, I wasn't thinking-"

"Would you like me to interrogate you about your sexual life, sir? I am not your boss but if you say it helps…" _'Oh thank Merlin Granger got some wicked sense of humor'_.

"No, thank you, I am good by now." She dedicated him a shy smile and went back to the bookshelf.

Her eyes were travelling from one book to another, but they were actually not being really registered. Her mind was busy considering different ways to ask for other items that had previously caught her attention; the drawer full of letters being the best example.

"So you and professor Dumbledore were really close?"

"I wouldn't say close... The old man always worked in strange ways, half the time I didn't know what he was thinking, and it was my job as a legeremen. I may have been nothing but a tool for him or a mere entertainment."

"Or his best friend."

"I hardly think so."

"You 'hardly think so' too many things, don't you?" She gave him a cheeky smile, he was paranoid indeed. The man didn't answer; he just limited himself to continue his own reading. "Would you mind if I bring some things tomorrow? To decorate."

"… You want to decorate my office?" He inquired with his left eyebrow up. It just sounded insane.

"Well, yes, so it'd look like Christmas. You said we could do anything I suggested; I suggest decorations."

"Did it cross your mind that I have other students coming to my office? I, myself, have no particular problem with the ornaments you may bring, but I do consider it would be out of place for others… they may call St's Mungo to let them know I have finally gone insane." The girl smiled to his response.

"You should stop bringing students to your office, or I may get jealous." Her tone was playful, only to hide how real it was. She knew the Potions Master was too difficult to be considering a relationship with other young witch or wizard… but she couldn't help it. She was just another student for him two weeks ago, too.

"Let me know if that happens, so I can punish you with the same severity I have punished the others that have come… I wouldn't like you to feel secluded." Hermione froze with her mouth slightly opened. Was he implying something with his tone at the pronunciation of the word punishment? She giggled nervously and shook the thought from her head; making a mental note to try it later, when their relationship had reached a more intimate level, because right now she was not risking ending washing and scrubbing cauldrons as a real standard punishment.

"You may want to punish me when I am done with your office… though I have some decorations that would definitely fit better in a chimney." He didn't know what exactly, but it was clear the witch had as usual schemed something. Her false shy smile couldn't disguise the glitter in her eyes, expecting for him to fall for it.

"Is this the moment I am supposed to remind you of how a coincidence it is for me to have a chimney in my quarters? The one chimney you have already seen?" Her face was priceless; she froze and stammered in silence. Her mind whether shut down or running to find an answer. "You may think that because of Christmas I may feel soft in the heart and allow you to go in and do as you please with my furniture, and perhaps… me?" There was a sharp sound when the girl lost hold of the book and it hit the floor. Snape continued to pierce her with his eyes. It felt good to see that even when his unreachable and fearsome image was damaged to her eyes, he could still cause such strong emotions in her. He didn't want her, under any circumstance, to get too comfortable.

The witch finally kneeled slowly and picked up the book, playing with it in her hands before answering.

"I was actually thinking in inviting you to see my decorations of the Gryffindor common room, there is a chimney in there too." He felt suddenly stupid, but it didn't last long, the girl rushed to add "But! Please, don't misunderstand me, if you are open to the idea, I would love to decorate your room."

"Would that stop you from coloring this office with outdated traditions?"

"Yes! I'd use every ornament, stocking and Christmas tree in my possession to color your room instead!" Snape wondered if this excitement for decorating indoor places was normal for muggles or just for her. "Give me a chance, please! I generally spend the holidays studying or practicing but you said you had no Christmas spirit and so I got lots of special and charmed ornaments I am really looking forward to see working!" That was one of the things he allowed himself to admit he liked about the brunette; she was so simple and complex at the same time. Any other person would consider the decors to be a tiresome activity of Christmas, but she found pleasure in discovering new magical objects. It was refreshing.

"Fine, you may bring every ornament, stocking and Christmas tree in your possession tomorrow, but just one thing Miss Granger; remember I do sleep in there, so you are not allowed to stick your fingers inside any piece of furniture," He stopped only to make a dramatic emphasize "especially not the bed."

"Understood." Her cheeks burned red, he was never forgetting what she did.

On December 22 Hermione presented herself with a box full of papers, balls and other materials in Snape's door. He let her in and remembered her to not go around sticking her nose in private places before opening the entrance for his chambers.

"Minerva will kill me."

"You can hold my wand," The girl dropped the box in the floor and offered her wand to the wizard. He hesitated for some time, his eyes traveling from the box to her and back to the box, "I don't need magic to decorate the place. It will be better if I do it with my hands, muggle style, so there will be no track of me being here." He finally nodded and grabbed her wand, a few seconds later it was hidden somewhere between the creases of his robes.

The Potions Master had to admit he was not expecting the girl to focus so badly on her job to completely forget the place she was in. She moved around the room like it was her own, hanging the stockings, adjusting the sticks of the tree and even placing and removing several times small floating snowflakes because they were, by her own words ' _not right'._ He didn't realize for how long he had been staring at her small body travel from one place to another, jumping and kneeling, until the girl brought him back to reality.

"Sir." He cleared his throat, victim of a while without talking; he seemed to have forgotten his own voice.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Do you think I could perhaps take my shoes off and stand in that chair? I can't reach some parts of the tree and chimney. It would be the last, I swear." He smiled, sure that any other dunderhead would've simply stomped in any chair with their shoes full of mud. But she was no dunderhead.

"If you must." The girl kneeled to undo her shoes, while the man stood from his sitting spot on the edge of his own bed and approached her. Her trainers were carefully placed next to the armchair that she had moved from its usual place with much difficulty, and then she jumped on it. For this moment Snape was standing right next to her, looking up to the most determined Gryffindor he had ever seen.

"Could you hand me that star, please?" His eyes wandered to the inside of the box, just a few items left; a rather plain star between them. He did as he was told and gave it to her; the girl struggled to place it on top of the tree, while the man considered in offering doing it himself. Would that hurt her pride? It was not necessary after all; she managed to do it and sighed before stepping back.

Suddenly, she lost balance, her foot clumsily colliding with the unexpected sensation of the armrest and causing her to fall backwards. Snape realized it, and with the reaction ability of an expert double agent he embraced her by the waist, stopping the girl from hitting the floor. The upper half of Hermione's body ended up in his arms, in the middle of the air, while the other half was completely tense on the armchair; her heart pounding because of the fear.

"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" Her almond eyes looked bigger than ever, most likely because of the shock. They were beautiful, indeed.

"I-I think." She blinked, but remained frozen in his arms.

While holding her, he couldn't help but to notice how small and light she felt; was it maybe because of half her body still being in the armchair or maybe the girl was still suffering the consequences of poorly eating because of that damn potion. In an attempt to discard the second one he adjusted his hands to his waist and back, looking for signs that would allow him to question her figure without sounding rude, but his attention was demanded.

"Sir." His eyes looked for hers, realizing his gaze was previously lost in some part of her body, not intended. "You can let go of me now". Snape felt suddenly stupid for the second time in the week, he was caught staring and touching for far too long. He did as he was told, immediately helping the girl down the armchair while carelessly nodding and playing cool.

"Would you say my room is green and red enough already or do you still hold, perhaps, a sleigh?" The girl smiled at him, amused by the comment, just to stare at the box on the floor.

"Well… there is still one more thing, but I don´t know if you would allow me to hang it." Her words were hesitant and soft, captivating the man, not just because of the lovely expression of her face while reciting it, but because it made him quite curious.

"I wonder what it could possibly be this last ornament that I may not allow, especially considering you have already displayed objects in this room I have never seen in my whole life, and that, Miss Granger, is to say something." Hermione scrutinized his face, considering his words an invitation to at least show him the final object in the box. She moved towards it and kneeled to grab a small plant from it, only to open her hand in front of the man revealing some mistletoe.

"It is quite traditional; I was thinking I could hang it maybe in your door; we used to hang it there at home." The Potions Master eyed the mistletoe suspiciously; he was most definitely not a fan of plants, at least not as decorations.

"… Fine." He finally acceded, considering it a minimal thing compared to the giant tree and all the other decorations. The girl smiled and handed him the mistletoe, earning herself a blank stare back from the man.

"Could you please hang it, sir? I am definitely not that tall." After analyzing the rest of the room, he sighed, the girl had done all the job, hanging the small piece of decoration was insignificant by comparison. While the man moved to place the plant on top of his door, the girl returned the armchair to its original place and put her shoes back, tying her shoelaces. "Just one last thing, sir." She waited for the man to turn around to speak "Most of the decorations work with magic… just a small switch from your wand should be enough, please, I am really looking forward to this."

Hermione Granger was well known for being calm and practical, reason why Snape took his time to appreciate her expression full of expectation; 7 years living as a witch and she still found great joy in cheap magic tricks such as objects floating around the room. After making sure her beaming smile was impressed in his memories he took his wand and swatch it, just as the girl said. Then, it happened. Every single ornament brought by Hermione started rather moving, floating or shining; the snowflakes started to fall creating a snowing illusion in just one corner of the room, while there were reindeers jumping and running all around them and the fire of the chimney appeared, warming the place. Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age and the most wonderful interior decorator Severus Snape had ever met.

The Potions Master only blinked after a few minutes, to see the young girl's expression; she was actually staring at him, clearly waiting for an opinion, and based on her face, rather fearing for his decision.

"Impressive." It was all he had to say to make the girl smile once again, he was not used to praise students much, but if it meant getting such an adorable expression he was certainly willing to try doing it more often.

"I enchanted some of them myself." The witch stated confident, while lifting her hand to try and touch a reindeer running close to her. They remained like this for a few minutes, enjoying the view, till the girl spoke. "I may not be able to come tomorrow, sir, I –hum- I will be busy." Snape was unsure how to feel, the girl's tone seemed in the edge of nervousness and fake disinterest; she was rather hiding something embarrassing or something offensive, but hiding something that was for sure.

"That is perfect, Miss Granger, I will actually be busy as well." Her pretended lack of interest was broken by his words, her head flew to his direction and longed at his face, clearly looking for some sign or clue.

"Are- I mean, you don't have to tell me, obviously, but I-hum-… are you going somewhere, sir?"

"I am, though it is none of your business," the girl flushed to his comment, feeling embarrassed for trespassing a line "I will not be at Hogwarts tomorrow, so the fact you will be busy as well is ideal."

"But-" she stopped, deciding if to continue or not, he had clearly stated it was none of her business "but you are coming back for Christmas Eve, right? I mean, we-"

"Yes, I will be back for Christmas Eve."

"Oh" The sound came out as relief, clearly fearing for the man to have taken his word back and leaving Hogwarts and her alone. "In that case… I guess we will be seeing each other on December 24?"

"If you wish so."

"I do, I- actually, sir, I was thinking well, if you don't mind, and please have into consideration that this one would not be the first time we do it… I was thinking we could maybe spend midnight together? You know… wait for midnight, but, of course, if you think that wouldn't be appropriate, it was just a suggestion, we could al-"

"I don't mind. I particularly see no reason to do such a thing. But you are clearly the Christmas expert in here, and just as I said before; we might as well do whatever you suggest."

"Thank you." She simply stated before facing the Christmas tree once again "I think it is a bit late, maybe I should be leaving."

"I happen to agree, it is already late and as you stated before you will have a busy day tomorrow." Hermione moved closer to the door, glaring at the mistletoe for only a fraction of second before waiting for the man to reach her, offering her wand. The girl hesitantly took it and moved one step backwards while hiding it in her back pocket.

"Good night, sir."

"Good night, Miss…" His words became softer and inaudible as he leaned down and kissed her in the lips, with her being fully prepared, hands reaching for his shoulders to keep him in place. Her lips were warm and soft, causing him a strange mixture of feelings: wrong and pleasant at the same time, till he felt it; the warm feeling of her breath against his lips, indicating the girl was looking for more, making him to immediately step back.

"What was that?" Severus Snape was clearly baffled and stared at Hermione with suspicious eyes; he wasn't sure if to apologize for kissing her by surprise, or if to go see Madam Pomfrey because he had actually had no intention of doing something like that ten minutes ago.

"I told you I enchanted some of these myself." Though the girl was just in the edge of the door, standing outside his personal quarters, Snape had no problem to see where her eyes were looking at; the mistletoe, clever and skilled girl.

"You shouldn't have."

"I just wanted to know if I could; it was actually a pretty complicated spell, or perhaps… it was just a coincidence? It would really help my studies if you could come here and test it one more time."

"I am taking it out the moment you leave that spot."

"To be fair, you were the one who put the spell into action, with the switch of-"

"Leave, Miss Granger, you know your way out, I am clearly not escorting you out my office under these circumstances."

"Oh, but if you could just-"

"Leave, now, before I turn that mistletoe to ashes."

"Good night, sir." With these last words the girl left, sporting a proud smile.

Snape waited to hear the door of his office close, it was then and just then that he dared to approach the mistletoe and take it down, he analyzed it a few second between his fingers before deciding to keep it; he was no expert, but it must have been for sure a difficult spell.

On December 23, they both spent the whole day working to get each other's Christmas present, which was clear indicator of how much they cared for it. After all, none of them was one to wait till last minute to finish things; however this was worth it, both of them complicated gifts on their own ways.

Till it was the evening of December 24, when Hermione Granger finished dinner she presented herself in her usual muggle clothes, including an old Christmas sweater knitted by Mrs. Weasley, in front of Professor Snape's office. The door flew open and the girl became suddenly nervous over the small package hidden in her satchel, suddenly unsure if the man would truly like it.

"Come in, Miss Granger." He allowed the girl to come in by stepping aside. His eyes followed the new sweater which he was positive never to have seen in her, but in every other Weasley. It made him feel sick in the stomach for a few seconds.

"Evening, sir." She stayed in the middle of the office, with her eyes piercing the wall that led to his private quarters. It was clear she held high expectations on going in. These high expectations didn't go unnoticed by the man who moved to the extreme of the room, pointing at the wall with his wand.

"Would you rather spend the evening here or…?"

"I think I'd rather the 'or' option, sir. Remember you allowed me to stay with you till midnight tonight, I think it would be better if… well, your quarters seem much more comfortable. Besides I… well, you know, I decorated it."

"It sounds only logical." His wand moved across the wall, appearing a door instead, the girl hurried to it, scared for the man to change his mind.

"Here is my wand, sir." He took her offer, considering it for the best, just as the previous day. He would have no explanation for Minerva if she somehow suspected the Gryffindor to have spent Christmas Eve with him.

Hermione moved into the warmer room hesitantly, waiting for something to happen. However, at the 'hmph' sound coming from his professor she turned around and stared at the top of the door; the mistletoe gone.

"Looking for something, Miss Granger?"

"Waiting for something, actually. But I am patient and can wait." Completely aware it was not happening, she smiled at him and turned around, appreciating the rest of her job; everything else was still in place and working, including the reindeers that were now resting in one corner, but clearly visible. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"I thought you were going to take the enchantments back and restore your room to its usual… tone?"

"Christmas is once a year." She smiled at him and moved closer to a small sofa in front of the chimney.

"Mind if I sit?"

"I couldn't have you standing all night, that would speak poorly of me as a host." He followed her, but sat on the armchair instead. "Do you have any particular activity planned for today, our Christmas expert?" Just in that moment the girl seemed to remind the satchel she was holding.

"Oh well! I actually thought in some… some –hum- activities for us," she cleared her throat while staring into the flames "quite a bunch, actually, because I didn't know what you would be ok with well… involving yourself in." her cheeks colored with a soft pink while the Potions Master restricted himself in order to not use legeremens on her.

"Enlighten me."

"We used to watch a movie on Christmas after having dinner, but well… there is no TV in here, so I thought –well- I brought a couple books related to Christmas. I am usually the one reading to you, I was hoping today you could… perhaps read one to me, instead?"

"Don't get me wrong, Miss Granger, I have most definitely enjoyed your reading so far. But… are you positive you would consider me reading a book that you clearly have already read at least once to be remotely entertaining?" His tone serious, but calm, trying to make the girl comfortable enough to tell the truth.

"Absolutely." There was no hesitation, completely sure about her answer, actually worried about being too effusive. "I am actually looking forward to it."

"Then… let it be." The potions master offered her his hand, the brunette only stared at it blankly for a few seconds before rushing to find the book and handing it to him. His eyes analyzed the cover 'Christmas Carol' not something he had heard before. "A muggle book?"

"I thought it would be better, since you have probably not read it." He didn't answer; instead he just opened it in the first page and cleared his throat before beginning the reading. The girl leaned on the sofa, closer to him, looking for a better position to hear him.

This was it, this was the closest Hermione could think of anywhere as her 'happy place'; the warm and cozy feeling of the room and sofa, the slight scent of the man cologne and wood, and finally but most importantly, his voice. It was so soothing and constant, like a song hitting every perfect note while telling a marvelous piece of story in the process.

The thing was she got so comfortable she actually ended up completely laid down on the sofa, and minute by minute the words became blurrier in her ears and her eyelids heavier, till the moment she was completely asleep.

Floating.

Yes, she was floating.

Her eyes opened to find herself being carried by the Potions Master, he wasn't looking at her, more focused on some unclear spot in front of them. The moment she opened her mouth to call his attention she realized their destination: the bed. Her breath got caught in her throat, eyes fixed in his face, calm and relaxed; she panicked when those calm eyes of him turned in her direction, causing her to immediately close hers, fearing for the man to notice she had been staring at him.

Her body felt the softness of the bed and his warmth abandoning her. Staying in there with her eyes closed she decided it was better to pretend to be asleep at least for a few seconds more before 'waking up' and excusing herself, but just when she was about to execute her plan the mattress shook underneath her; she was not alone on it anymore.

Hermione Granger gulped, unsure of what to do, was it so late the man had decided to go to sleep as well? Was he planning to share the bed with her? She was obviously not complaining, the idea was more than welcome. She felt the sheets covering her and assumed it was better this way, since this was, by far, the closest she had gotten to any real intimacy, and it was quite an honor. Or that is what she thought till one hand slid behind her back, slightly raising her, together with another one grabbing her sweater and pulling it up her head; there was absolutely no way she could fool the man into believing she was still asleep after letting go a gasp and opening her eyes at the surprise.

"Just when I started to wonder for how long you were going to pretend." There he was, Severus Snape, half over her with his right hand on her back and her left pulling the sweater over her head. "I hope you don't mind, but the sight alone of you all bent on the sofa made my neck sore… I thought the bed was more suitable for your dreams."

"Th-thank you." She gulped once again, unsure of how to proceed. "I-I think I can take my sweater off myself."

"Oh, I am sure you can." In spite of his words, both his hands remained in place, even firmer than before. "I just wasn't sure you wanted to."

"Wh-what do you mean?" The Gryffindor tried to control her throat, the complete setting was unreal. This was probably a dream.

"I think I have proven myself through all these years, and particularly these last few weeks, owner of much self control, haven't I?" she was about to answer when he continued, clarifying it was actually a rhetoric question. "But there is a limit for everything, Miss Granger… and I think you moaning my title just a few steps from me is my limit." Her face went completely red and her heart was near to escape her mouth. What was he talking about? Did she say anything while being really asleep? His hands abandoned her body, leaving her with both arms trapped over her head with the sweater half taken off.

"I-I don't understand." She struggled a bit to try and finish taking the piece of cloth off, but it was actually impossible, he had somehow imprisoned her with it.

"You. Don't. Understand." The potions master smirked, while taking his time to sit next to her in bed. "Professor. Oh, professor." The words themselves were not the real issue, but the tone. He was clearly implying something sexual, "No need to apologize, I am quite sure you were –really- asleep for that moment." His left hand traveled to her stomach, over the fabric of her shirt. "I must admit it was quite unsettling at the beginning, since the idea of you as a student AND a woman at the same time is alarming on itself, but… for the third time it started to be strangely charming and for the fifth well… I started to consider a change of setting." She gasped at the realization his hand was not static on her belly any longer, but moving down.

"Sir?"

"No, not that one, you didn't use that one." He was teasing her; this was most likely a dream.

"… Pr-professor? What are y-" The man needed only his left hand to unbutton her jeans and her mouth shut immediately closed, with her eyes fixed on his.

"Yes, that is it… but not like that. The tone was… different." She could only hear the sound of her zipper, followed by a soft caress to her face. "You can tell me to stop the moment you feel…" there was a pause, it felt like eternity for Hermione who was not only waiting for him to finish the sentence, but to know what he was planning. "overwhelmed." She bent her knees and let go a gasp without breaking the eye contact at the feeling of his left hand sliding in her pants, right to her most sensitive area.

"Professor!" This time the word came out as a moan, high and loud because of the surprise.

"Yes, like that."

"Oh no."

"No?" for a moment he threatened to retrieve but she whimpered in answer.

"I was- I was not-"

"Don't you dare tell me you were not prepared, because I can feel you were more than 'ready'." There was a twitch in his hand, making the girl arch her back. "Now, say it."

"S-say what?" She avoided his eyes, too ashamed to make eye contact once again.

"You know what to say…" for this he had lowered himself to speak directly to her ear, purring every word. "Don't play it hard, I know you want it. You literally half said it while drooling all over my cushion." Another twitch, followed by another erratic movement from the girl. This was most definitely a dream.

"Professor!"

"Yes, keep it like that." The brunette continued to quiver behind him, with every slight movement of him she continued to tremble in response, "for the first time in your life, Miss Granger, I am telling you to talk." He continued to tease her, sending waves of pleasure, for which she only could increase the pitch of her voice. "Louder" Till it was just too much and…

"Professor!" Hermione Granger woke up for the second time in the evening, but this time it was not in Severus Snape's hands or bed, but sofa. Fiercely grabbing the blanket over her and with her eyes fixed to the ceiling, the girl tried to recover herself from what she was positive to be the most powerful and real dream she had ever had.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Her eyes rolled to see the man sitting on his armchair, with the book he had been reading still on his lap and a rather blank expression.

"… I am…. I am sorry, I didn't mean to" she sat on the sofa, trying to breath so her heart would stop racing in her chest, still embarrassed by her dream.

"You didn't mean to what exactly?"

"Well, you were reading and I… I don't know when I just fell asleep, I am sorry, I was just tired."

"Then again, you are apologizing for falling asleep though I specifically asked you if me reading a book would end up boring you," she gulped, he actually had asked that with those exact same words "or you are apologizing for having inappropriate dreams with me in my own sofa and presence?"

She just stared at him in silence, unsure if she had heard him right.

"Did you use legeremens on me? Because if you did-"

"No need, Miss Granger. I don't need a spell to know what you were dreaming of, not when you make such noises and talk while asleep." The Potions Master said this with his attention still completely in the book, like it was not a really big deal. He only closed it and looked back at her to add "Though if I am honest it did take much effort to restrain my curiosity this time."


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thank you for all reviews and nice words.

 **Chapter 23:**

It took Hermione several minutes to recover from the embarrassment of being caught having inappropriate dreams with the man sitting next. Luckily for her, he didn't push the topic any further, after his comment she had just decided to remain in silence waiting for the man to add anything, but he just seemed to rejoice in her discomfort.

"Do you have an idea of what time it is?" The sudden question startled her, but it made her feel relieved at the same time. Anything was better than the awkward silence.

"No, sir. Is it too late?" The girl cleared her throat and smiled, trying to act as casual as possible, avoiding the previous topic. Much to her surprise, the man stood up from his seat and walked next to her, ignoring her and heading towards his closet. A neatly wrapped package was offered to her just a couple minutes later.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Granger." The girl stared blankly at the gift, then at the man and back at the present, suddenly realizing it was past midnight the girl accepted it with a smile she couldn't hide.

"You got me a present, I didn't think –I mean, of course I did, it's just, I wasn't sure you would mind, it is just…" It was difficult to find the right words to express the surprise that involved her while holding the wrapping paper between her hands. "Can I open it?"

"Well, it wouldn't be of much use if you didn't." As hard as she tried to act calm, her hands were rather clumsy when it came to opening the gift, and tearing the Christmas paper in places she would've rather not; after all, she meant to keep it as a souvenir for their first Holiday together. When she was done, it was easy to see its content: fabric.

"These are…"

"You did complain several times about your clothes." From the scratching she pulled up what seemed like a black dress, simple enough to be worn during day, but at the same time decorated with such fancy laces that made it worth a red carpet event.

"This is…" she struggled to find words capable of expressing her opinion to its complete extension.

"I am a grown man, Miss Granger, I can assure you telling me you dislike it won't break my heart."

"This is perfect." She finally took her eyes from the clothing between her fingers to look back at the man "It is actually beautiful, I didn't know… I mean, how did you- did you choose it yourself?" up to this point he chuckled, just to immediately smirk back at her.

"I'm taking your tone of surprise as an indicator you don't believe me capable of deciding for a dress worth enough myself?"

"Oh no! That is not what I meant, it's just… well, this is, and you… I am just a bit surprised, I didn't think you would take your time looking for a dress for me, I actually feel really flattered, sir. I repeat, I didn't mean to-" Before she could continue apologizing, he raised his left hand in an attempt to shut her.

"I will stop you right there, Miss Granger. I was not the one who selected it for you; I did approve its purchase, though." Now she was puzzled, if it wasn't him, then… "There is a second part for your gift, something you particularly requested from me." Her attention dropped back to her lap, she took her time to let the dress next to her with much care, only to finish tearing the wrapping paper; inside it there was a single card; a photograph to be more specific. She blushed, could it be, perhaps, the picture of him she had previously asked for?

But no. The moment she turned the picture around the one person she saw on it was herself. The setting on it was rather confusing, though; she couldn't remember having posed sitting with her legs crossed on top a table in what looked like the potions classroom.

"A picture of me? How did you-? I mean, when? I do not remember taking a picture like this, specially not in the…" then it happened, the Hermione Granger in the picture looked directly at her with eyes that pierced her and a smirk that was clearly not hers. "Oh no, you didn't." she snapped.

"I think it is clear to both of us that your shooting section came out as a fiasco, so I was forced to…" the beaming smile of her face, product of the lovely dress had vanished, only to be replaced with bewilderment "… take some measures."

"So you simply took my body and used it for a shooting session? That is so-" for a few seconds the man really worried for the girl to be beyond angry, near to hyperventilating. "You…"

"Just one." Her eyes flew back at him, still unclear if she was furious, outraged or simply baffled. "I just took that photograph, the one I needed. No interactions with others, no personal reasons, no… hidden intentions." His voice turned off with every second, in an attempt to restore the previous mood.

"Then why? You never really told me what the picture was for." Her eyebrows still furrowed. "You refused to let me know, and refused to let me take another one, then you present this to me and-"

"There is a store" He took a moment to cross his arms and breathe, "It is neither in Diagon Alley nor Hogsmeade, so no point in directions. They have workers with the specific purpose of finding the right 'outfit' for every event and person, only a picture is needed. They presented me three different options from which I chose the one next to you. That. Is. All."

Hermione's attention traveled from him to the dress, then to the picture; harmless if not ordinary. If anyone else was to see it, they would probably not suspect a thing. After a few seconds in which Snape considered obliviating her a second time, she simply muttered in response. "Is that where you buy your cloaks?"

"Of course not. The shop attendant would most definitely suggest their incineration." With that comment she finally relaxed and let go a laugh.

"Thank you."

"What would that be for? 'taking your body' to a shooting session without your consent?"

"For the effort, I know how hard it is to prepare the poly-juice potion, even for someone as talented as you." He finally could breathe; the girl didn't seem to believe him a creep anymore. That was the thing 'seem', he continued to analyze her expression, looking for any sign of discomfort, "Could I use your bathroom?" he remained there with his arms crossed, finally nodding as a sign of permission. The girl stood holding the dress and stepped aside, surrounding the man who refused to move, only his eyes did to follow her pace to the door in the opposite extreme of the room.

Then he waited, and what a long waiting. After about ten minutes of no sound he started to consider the girl to be notifying of his more than brave move to McGonagall, if not a higher authority. Just when the Potions Master was about to storm through the place there was a 'click' and the door opened; Hermione Granger stepped out wearing the black dress as it was particularly made for her, tight in all the right places to be alluring but at the same time covering enough of her legs and breasts to be in rule with the 'dress code'.

'Do not stare' that was all he could think while actually staring at her every movement. It was clear for him the girl was neither particularly trying to look seductive nor enticing, but it was particularly that which ended up being charming; the way she seemed more focused on the slight folds at the end of her skirt than the fact she was the most beautiful creature to ever step on his chambers, reminiscence of an exposed bunny lost in a predator's cave. His mind rushed for an answer that could cover these thoughts.

"And… well?"

"Shoes." The girl blushed fiercely and looked at her trainers, obviously not the right match for the delicacy of her new outfit.

"I know, I know. My trainers are not made for this kind of dress, but how could I know I was getting this beautiful dress as a present? I know you wouldn't approve a student running free and barefoot in your room, so… just pretend I am not wearing them, what do you think about the dress?"

"I chose it, furthermore I like it." He feared for the girl noticing his eyes drifting through places beyond explanation, deciding it was better to distract her attention from him, he added "if by any means you would feel more comfortable, I wouldn't mind…" here was a pause; the verb never came "you could take them off if you wanted." The brunette simply looked blankly at him for a few seconds before understanding; the shoes, he was offering her to take her sneakers off.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't it bother you? Because I would like to see how I'd look without them distracting the attention from the dress." Her tone came almost as a song as she moved around the sofa to sit on it. "Oh! But before I do that, I… well, wait a minute." Instead of reaching for her shoelaces the girl leaned down to pick up her satchel, taking from inside it an old parchment, carefully decorated with a green ribbon. "I know it is not the same, but… I really hope it helps you. Merry Christmas, sir." Now it was his turn to be curious, he had actually expected the girl to get him something, but he was completely unsure what it could be, especially if it was in a parchment; poetry, maybe?

"Do not tell me you wrote me a poem." He really hoped it wasn't, that would be a bit awkward for him, appreciated? Highly, but he was not a fan of poetry himself, that together with the idea of a schoolgirl infatuated with him writing notes and love letters made him suddenly conscious of her age. In spite of his words he actually reached for it, paying it much attention.

"Oh, should I? It is not what I did, but I guess I could try writing something if you are really into it. Now, come," she patted the spot next to her, inviting him "sit with me so I can show you." The Potions Master took his time to accept her offer after much consideration, while Hermione dedicated herself to remove her sneakers, for the moment she was ready Snape had already discarded the fancy ribbon and was looking at the parchment with much annoyance. Hermione simply smiled, enjoying his expression aware he was too focused on the message on it to even realize she was tracing every line of his face.

"The marauder's map… Why oh why, Miss Granger? You are fully aware I cannot-"

"That is not the marauder's map, sir." She couldn't contain her beaming smile while shaking her head in denial. "That is the prince's map."

"The what?" Unsure if his tone denoted annoyance or indignation she moved back a bit.

"Well… you are the one person in this castle who seems unable to use The Marauder's Map, confiscated anyways. So… I made you your own. You are the only person in Hogwarts who can use this one; it will actually display an equally insulting comment on every person who tries to use it who is not you, the self-called Half Blood Prince" Despite her being a bit intimidated her smile never faded "Go ahead, try it. Tap it with your wand and say 'I solemnly swear that I love Hermione Granger.'" Up to this moment he had taken her words seriously, even pulling his wand to follow her instructions, but once he heard the final part his head snapped down and pierced her; she didn't even flinch. "And well, sir? It was really difficult to make… but if you don't want it."

He took a deep breath, clearly exasperated, "Unbelievable…" he murmured through his teeth before finally continuing, together with a soft tap of his wand "I solemnly swear that I love Hermione Granger."

And nothing happened. His left eyebrow flew high in annoyance and confusion, the girl's experiment was a failure, her very first. But before he could make any comment her giggle sounded in his ears, together with the feeling of her head in his shoulder, tilted because of the laugh.

"I am sorry, sir. It was a unique chance," she reincorporated, ignoring his annoyed expression "the real phrase is 'I solemnly swear that I am actually good.'" The Potions Master held his wand, disgusted; naming the map after his teen alias was already embarrassing enough, but this phrase? He'd rather say he loved her one hundred times over repeating that cheesy statement.

After some minutes of hesitation his wand tapped the map and he murmured in a sarcastic tone "I solemnly swear that I am actually good." In front of his eyes the parchment started to unfold, showing just like the original one, the whole castle, floor by floor and room by room. He wouldn't say it, but he was actually amazed.

"I've been working on it for a long time, but I think you will need it more than me, since well… you know I –hum- nevermind." The brunette accommodated herself on the sofa, lifting her legs from the floor and kneeling, her upper side pressed against his left arm "There are not many people in the castle, but look there" her left hand pointed at small steps moving through a hallway, her body so close her hair tickled his cheek. "There are two students out of bed. This way you will not need to move around in the dark when you have to patrol, you can simply open the map, take points mercilessly and sow fear in the souls of those who will never know how you caught them so fast," her head turned to meet his gaze, closer than he had intended to. "You will be finally able to have a proper night of sleep."

He froze; everything seemed suddenly overwhelming even for him: The map, her kindness, her voice, her face, her knee almost over his leg, the floral scent of her shampoo and the warmth resulting of her closeness.

"… You hate it." She retreated, her knee still in touch with his leg. "I didn't mean to break the rules; I just thought that it would help you in your job and…"

"What are its limits?" Her sudden fear allowed him to recover control, familiar with this setting. The girl analyzed his expression, finally deciding it was safe to continue.

"The same of the Marauder's map, I couldn't do much to improve that… we are currently in a room I couldn't identify in the map, so both of us do not appear on it right now, which I think is quite convenient, just in case anyone gets to open the map with me in here. The Room of Requirements is not there either; it is the one blind spot inside of the castle besides of the teachers' quarters."

"But you are a part of it."

"Yes," the question got her downward and caused her to feel a bit excited about his interest on her "if you ever need me I should appear on the map." His eyes traced every hallway in the map, inspecting its secrets, it explained so much; every secret passage was there, password included. This was the nightmare of every teacher, but not this one, because this one was going to be the students' nightmare. "So… do you want it?"

"Let me be clear here, Miss Granger…" her body tensing because of his strict and impersonal tone. "I like this map of you… just as much as I like that dress." Just then his gaze left the map and focused on her. "Irregular? Yes, helpful? Indeed. I may not show it, but I am actually grateful for this." After the first feeling of utter confusion, she slowly relaxed.

"Then, perhaps you could answer me something as a sign of gratitude."

"And what would that be?" In spite of her innocent eyes looking brighter, he knew it was a risky move.

"Well, sir, to be honest… I am not quite happy with you right now." Now it was his time to be baffled. "I may have forgiven you for taking my body without my consent, only because I really appreciate your gift, but… there is this thing that is making me a bit uneasy, and perhaps you could give me a proper explanation."

"What could that possibly be?" he worried, aware of how wrong he had been; the girl would be in all her right to feel outraged.

"In the picture you took, that Hermione was wearing a school uniform, the poly juice potion only changes the appearance, not the clothes, so… I guess what I am trying to say is I am not sure how I feel about you undressing me." His face became paler than ever, even with all of her hesitation to ask, the question caught him by surprise. While he fought to find the words to excuse himself the girl's hand went in touch with his arm, lowering it in an attempt for him to let go of the map fiercely grasped. "Sir…?"

"I've never undressed you."

"Then how?"

"Didn't it cross your brilliant mind that perhaps I had changed my clothes prior transforming into you? It was just a matter of enlarging my old school uniform with a basic spell, and then turning it back to its original size after becoming you." Hermione wasn't sure if he had ever seen him smirk so badly. "Furthermore, I never undressed you." The Gryffindor opened her mouth in embarrassment for not considering it an option and jumping into conclusions "Feeling relieved, Miss Granger?"

"I am sorry; I didn't mean to accuse you."

"Not at all, it was a natural train of thought. I am the one who should apologize for, as you said, 'taking your body'" the soothing tone used to highlight that specific part made her shudder. "I hope you can find consolation knowing I have never seen..." there was a pause in which Hermione noticed his gaze tracing her legs "… you naked. I am truly sorry for disgusting you, but as my nature dictates the end justifies the means."

"Oh, I never said I was disgusted." There was a creak from the sofa when she moved to adjust her legs, moving her knees away from him, only to press her right thigh against his own.

"Then…?" Every shift from the girl went clearly noticed by the man, who wondered just how big were his chances to have a beautiful young witch in her chambers so driven away to flirt with him in such an obvious way. And not just any witch, since chances became quite higher if he considered a few other students who may have tried to improve their grades by implications of the same sort. But this, this was different; the girl currently seeking his attentions was not other than Hermione Granger, heroine of war, with the whole magical world to her feet. There were no second intentions; she had nothing to win from him, it was not about grades, money or fame, which he found extremely pleasant and at the same time, strangely flattering.

"Well…" The hesitation in her voice only made him more curious "I just thought it to be a waste." His heart stopped for a second and felt to his stomach, but before he could get familiar with the humiliation she quickly added "Not to be there."

"… Pardon me?" In spite of him making an effort to see her face in search for a more honest answer, her locks of hair made it impossible. The Gryffindor felt her cheeks burning red, forcing her to take a deep breath for cold air in an attempt to return them to their usual color.

"I am not very confident about my body, but… If you wanted to see it, I would like to be there myself." Her head popped up before continuing "So I could see your face."

Silence. He proved himself unable to find words, completely unsure how to proceed. Was it a confession? An invitation? The Gryffindor was clearly waiting for an answer of some kind since her eyes were darting his.

"Oh God, please forget I even said that, so embarrassing and stupid. Of course you don't want to, it was just... I thought about that time, when you- well, you know –hum- when the potion affected you and you seemed so eager, and I thought that perhaps you would like to do it, I mean! See me, of course you also wanted to- you know what? Nevermind, I am just babbling and you probably have other things in mind, or even-" everything she said was so quick and hyperventilated it was hard for Snape to keep track of every idea, when he finally realized about the whole point.

"Miss Granger." The brunette immediately stopped talking, looking thankful for the interruption, an escape from her rush and an opportunity to finally breathe. "I am positive I will repent about this later, but… I did consider it."Her pupils quivered, interrogating him. "But just as you said… it would have been a waste. I am not a teenage boy looking for simply images or looks, not when there is so much more."

Her mouth fell slightly open, this was the first time since the potions classroom that he seemed to agree and even encourage any real action between them. She intended to speak, try her luck but he was faster.

"Perhaps you could tell me about the process?" Her eyes widened, did he just ask her to talk about the procedure for undressing herself? The girl opened her mouth a couple times, unsure what to answer or where to begin with.

"Well, I- hum-"

"What spells you used, for instance, or perhaps a potion?" Oh, that is what he meant. She smiled with relief, this was something she knew about; it also meant he was positively pleased with her gift.

"Oh, that… " Her right hand removed a lock of hair from her face, placing it behind her ear before leaning in to have a better sight of the map. "Remus told me a long time ago about the process to make it, he actually helped me with some of the spells, the hardest part was to add all of the places, you see, it is required for the wizard or witch to be physically in the place to cast the spell that would add the area to the map, and I am no animagus." His eyes immediately traveled to places he considered inappropriate for a female Gryffindor student to be; surely a boy would be shocked to see her in the bathroom. "I would've finished the map two years ago if it weren't for some really hard zones… but being a prefect has proven quite useful for such a matter."

"Really…? Mind sharing your methods to enter the slytherin boys' quarters with me? The Head of House?"

"Oh that!" she smiled and pressed herself against his arm, so she could point at the Slytherin's common room. "As I knew that one was the hardest… I actually took advantage of the panic after the war" she moved her finger slowly up the map, tracing a hallway "When the war was over, half Hogwarts was destroyed, many security spells had disappeared together with the whole structure… including the Slytherin's entrance."

"So you simply found your way in…?"

"Finding my way in was actually simple… the way out, though." Her voice faded; together with the slow and trembling withdraw of her hand.

"What do you mean?"

"You should teach your Slytherins how to treat a woman." His grip of the parchment tensed, together with his jaw; clenching his teeth, forcing him to speak through hisses.

"What did they do?"

"Nothing too bad." In spite of her words, her tone carried a stronger meaning "I can take care of myself."

"What. Did. They. Do?" His head turned her way so sharply she jolted back in response, and he discarded the map to his side; he always knew his students were the ones with the biggest tendency to cause troubles, he knew it and that was also his main reason to be so strict at so many levels; making sure every single one of them feared him enough as to not embarrass him had proven quite successful through the years. But this? This was never reported to him.

"Nothing, really. They just… hum… well, I went alone, and a student from sixth year found me, he was more shocked than anything to see a Gryffindor standing in his quarter. That's it." Fearing to have made a mistake by even commenting it, she attempted to soft the man by omitting some 'irrelevant' information.

"I am serious here, Granger. What happened?" The upper part of his body twisted, facing her taller than ever, with the girl slightly leaning down, trying to establish some physical distance as she was surprised by his extreme and unexpected interest.

"He screamed and some of his friends arrived while I tried to leave, but they didn't do anything too important, really, they just…" His left fist clenched to the back of the sofa, turning almost white.

"Just?"

"They just called me some names, but I can take care of myself, just forget I said that."

"What did they call you? Did they touch you? Because if they did-" Suddenly, her heart fluttered. She had feared for the man to be angry at her because of her fearless attitude. It was now she realized he was honestly worried for her.

"I am fine," she reached to touch him, attempting to calm him down "they just called me some names, the classic ones, like –hum- "she hesitated to, but his intense look seemed to command her to continue "whore, because I got myself in their quarters alone, implying I did it because-" Snape rolled his eyes and moved back, suppressing a heavy sigh, he was most likely murdering someone. "They couldn't touch me… though they tried, but it seems they had never been punched in the face by a girl, or maybe even touched by a girl, because they were shocked when I did it." She forced herself to smile, implying a joke on her part.

"Names."

"What?"

"I want names, Granger. Give me their names."

"You cannot be serious. This happened almost a year ago, if you do or say something now, they will not be the only ones in problem, they did nothing compared to what I did… if they did something was to avoid me detention." She had never seen him like this before, utterly furious out of concern for someone else. The Gryffindor had never needed protection, but his expression of true ferocity, instead of upsetting her, made her proud, as she was able to draw such an intense emotion from him. "Please" Her grip of his left sleeve hardened and she leaned forward, looking for his eyes "Nothing really happened." When he refused to move, still breathing through his clenched teeth she left his arm to cup his face. Finally, the man turned his head slightly to her side, facing her. "Sir?"

"You were the one who told me to teach them how to treat a woman; I will just make sure they learn the basics."

"I don't think they will learn" in spite of him still looking upset, his sight softened on her "not all men can be a gentleman such as you." The smirk he gave her made her heart beat twice its normal rate.

"No witch in this school knows better than you what the opposite of a gentleman I truly am when it comes to treating a woman." After a few seconds of confusion she understood the meaning of his words; a gentleman would most certainly not lay her on his own desk. She felt her blood running to her cheeks.

"Oh, I am sure it would be different under normal circumstances." Her attention drifted to his lips, lightly parted.

"I am afraid you may punch me in the face" his head tilted to the left, almost daring her. He felt overwhelmed by the ability of the girl to lead him through so many different emotional states; he had been so mad just a few minutes before, but her eyes seemed to melt every negative feeling out his body.

"Why don't you try and find out?" She smiled, with her hands still softly pressed against his cheeks.

"I'd rather not to." In spite of his words, the girl had slowly started to lean forward, lifting her weight from the sofa while focusing her eyes on his lips. He didn't move an inch, neither to avoid her nor to encourage her. But it was not necessary, since she just located a soft kiss on his lips, retreating almost immediately.

"No punch?" Despite the short distance between them he still recognized a smile on her face.

"I couldn't, even if I wanted." Now it was his time to lean forward, kissing her, not if deeper but longer "and being honest, I don't want to." Charming, that was what Hermione thought before pressing herself fully against him. Her hands moved from his face around his head to surround him, caressing his hair. While he moved hesitantly, still unsure if to continue, his hands moved carefully to go in touch with the skin of her legs, enticing from the minute he had seen her with the dress.

She bit slightly his bottom lip, demanding entrance, as he opened his mouth for her to invade. However, the girl didn't have enough time to get comfortable with the empowering feeling of control when a gasp escaped her at the surprise of being lifted by her thighs only to be placed on his lap, striding him. The sound, even if alluring worried him, scared of actually having overstepped a line. His eyes searched hers, waiting for a sign.

The sign came in the form of a more passionate kiss. However, when her hands came streaming down his neck to unbutton his coat he pushed her lightly.

"What is wrong?" Her voice came out almost in pieces, victim of the lack of air.

"You may want to leave now."

"I am sure I don't want to leave… do you want me to leave?"

He flinched, aware of his position as the responsible adult in the situation. It was not about him wanting her to leave or not, it was about him doing what he had to.

"It is getting late, students shouldn't be out of bed."

"So it is okay to kiss a student, but it is not okay to take your coat off?" she sighed and let her weight fall on top of him heavily. Much to his surprise, her disappointed movement happened to go in contact with his arousal, eliciting a pant. This, far from encouraging made him suddenly self conscious.

"You should definitely leave." In spite of feeling extremely in favor of staying, convinced it wouldn't take much effort to coax him to change his mind; she shifted in her place, before moving aside to reach for her shoes. The way her eyes avoided him while marching to the bathroom made his heart pinch. Was she upset?

The door opened a few minutes later, with the girl wearing her usual clothes and the dress being carried in her arms.

"I am ready to go."

"Miss Granger…" he had risen from the sofa and was currently standing next to the entrance, waiting for the girl to approach him. She had made an effort to keep her hair in place, apparently using some water.

"May I have my wand back, please?" He hesitated to look for it in his back pocket, before offering it to her. She took it from his grasp and hid it in the folds of her new dress. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." Completely unaware if he was grateful for the map, the night, the kiss or her being willing to leave, she simply nodded and walked towards the door that would lead to his office. However, just when she had moved past the doorway the Gryffindor turned around to look directly at him.

"You do know that I will be a student for other six months, do you?"

"I do." What did she mean by it? It was clear he knew about it, he had made sure to continue remembering himself of it every time she attended the potions class with her eyes fixed in his and her uniform in outstanding conditions.

"And you do know that the minute I stop being a student… I will have to leave Hogwarts." Then he realized what had provoked her change of mood. This, all of it, was definitely going nowhere.

He gulped before continuing.

"I do."

"Then, good night, professor." This time the last word didn't come in any remotely sensual tone, but remarked with annoyance; an indicator that was clearly her problem.

He couldn't bring himself to answer; he simply looked at her as she left his quarters, and then his office. Standing in his own door he damned his past self for even allowing this moment to happen.

Meanwhile, the young witch had just closed his office door and was preparing to head to the Gryffindor Tower when a feminine cough caught her attention from behind her. She immediately turned around with her heart in her ears because of the shock. Nobody was supposed to be out of bed at this time.

"Mind explaining me your reasons to be out of bed so late in Christmas, Miss Granger?" The tall figure of her Head of House and current Headmistress stood in front of her. ' _Crap_ ' she thought, with her brain racing for an answer that could inflict the less of damage to her and the man completely ignorant of the predicament.

"I… well… I was just patrolling, since it is Christmas, there were some –hum- students out of bed, visiting others." She made an attempt to smile, reassuring her answer.

"Patrolling inside of Professor Snape's office?" ' _Oh crap'_ she didn't have enough time to think of a reasonable explanation when the older woman's eyes fell on her arms; inspecting the piece of clothing gracefully hanging in her hold. "That is indeed a beautiful dress. A Christmas present, perhaps?" _'Oh crap, oh crap'._

"This is…" The Head of House just limited herself to raise an eyebrow, clear indicator of her already knowing the answer, so Hermione herself provided none, going completely mute.

"Come with me." That was it. Nothing else was said while the brunette followed the pace of her elder in silence, dead worried not only for her own future, but for the job stability of the man that had clearly been doing his best to avoid this to happen.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thank you for all reviews and nice words, especially for those who wait ages for me to update.

 **Chapter 24:**

Professor Snape had spent almost an hour going through pages of different books, completely absorbed by nothing in particular. Every book seemed blander than the previous one, rather that or too focused on pretentious and overglown plots about happy couples fighting in the name of love. He sighed, discarding the book on the desk for the ninth time; it was not like he really wanted to read something, he just needed an excuse to ignore, at least if for some minutes, the neatly written essay on the very top of a bunch of papers, the only one still missing a grade: Hermione Granger's.

It had been over a week since the girl left his chambers, clearly dismayed and outraged by the realization that both of them had only being wasting their time with a relationship that was leading nowhere. She was only six months away from graduating and leaving, not only the castle, but every person in it, including him.

Yes, it hurt. As he knew it was going to, but it was for the best; the earlier the better. He already hated the feeling of over excitement that overcame him when the time of her usual visits approached, only to be followed by the knot in his stomach and the void in his chest at the realization that she was not coming back; she was simply not that stupid.

However, as aware of this as he was, it didn't ease the pain of seeing her enter his classroom two days after New Year's eve (night he had spent occasionally checking the magical map, only to check if the girl was still secluded in her room, place where she stood the whole day alone, a somehow comforting idea). She had simply marched her way in, together with her ever present entourage, found a seat neither far from him nor particularly close and paid him just as much attention as any other student would, if not less. He had prepared for it, for the return to reality that was always supposed to happen, but the preparation proved itself away from successful as he had to force his eyes away from every movement of her quill, wondering if the girl was actually taking notes about the class or doodling about his newborn dislike for him.

His heart had frozen the minute a shy finger tapped his back, together with her soft voice calling his name 'Professor Snape'. He had turned around to face her, feeling the thrilling and familiar emotion of expecting for the girl to surprise him with her out of place comments and non-conventional approaches, but none of it happened, since she had simply offered him a parchment 'Here is my essay' she said. He just nodded as he carefully took it from her, what else could've he done? The Potions Master looked at her leave the Potions Classroom just as he had beheld her exit from his quarters.

The essay. The same essay currently lying on top of his desk, the only that was yet to be checked. He couldn't bring himself to read it. At least not yet, just one more he told himself before opening the tenth book of the night.

Knock.

He paused, arching a brow and looking up to appreciate his door. Minerva, maybe?

Knock knock.

Sighing heavily, he closed the book and returned it to its place in the bookcase before standing to open the door in an almost savage way as the idea of Minerva presenting some complain was not welcomed at such an hour. However, much to his surprise, the person standing at his door was no other than Hermione Granger herself. The shock was such the girl whimpered and stepped back, protecting her satchel with both hands.

"Oh my-! Sorry, I was not…" the girl cleared her throat before recovering her posture. "I am sorry for bothering you."

Silence. The girl had to admit she wasn't expecting the man to welcome her, but this…

"May I come i-?" She didn't have enough time to finish her question, since professor Snape was quick to interrupt her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I –well-" He was definitely making any interaction difficult "I just came… to visit you."

"Visit?" His breath got caught in his throat before recovering his sarcastic tone "Visit me? You cannot possibly be talking seriously… Leave."

"Sir, please. I know… I know things have not been perfect between us, but-"

"Not perfect?" The man leaned forward, threatening with almost push her. His head turned both sides of the hallway, looking for any witness of the scene. "This was perfect, Miss Granger, my whole week had been just perfect till you came knocking on my door." Even though he was lying, he had to admit the devastating look of her face after listening him made the solitude of his afternoon a paradise by comparison; he just couldn't neither endure nor stop hurting her.

"Oh… so you are truly mad." Her eyes fell to the ground, before taking a deep breath and charging against him again. "Can't I just say something? Then I promise I will leave you alone."

After much consideration he finally nodded, damning himself because even now, after taking every ounce of self respect from him, the girl was still able to play him as she wanted. The Potions Master observed as she took from the inside of his satchel a small cupcake inside of a plain card box, it was decorated with green and silver glace, while still being simple, and offered it to him.

"Happy birthday, sir."

Hermione could've sworn she had time enough to analyze every line of his face, mutating and shifting by her comment, producing different emotions by every second. She feared for how much she had come to know him, aware she was most likely the only one to identify each feeling from one another.

"… You don't know it's your birthday." He opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. "How could you forget your own birthday?" He looked beyond bewildered, calculating, jumping from date to date only to release it was indeed, his birthday. "Let me in." That was all Hermione said before gently pushing the man aside and entering his office.

Severus Snape had been so busy overthinking his messed up relationship with the girl to realize of the dates, time had literally frozen for him the day she left and it could perfectly be June with him not caring much. But she did, the girl that had previously left him standing in contemplation did; because she simply cared too much, about dates, about gifts, about him. He glared at the small cake still in her hand, openly offered for him to grab, it was obviously not baked in the Hogwarts kitchen and he could just wonder… "How?"

"I am not a professional baker, but I did my best…" for this moment the girl had started to have second thoughts about her chosen gift. She was quite aware the man was not into sweets, but he seemed inclined to not even touch it. "It is not poisoned… could you please at least try it?" Finally, he moved. His right hand reached for the small cake as his left closed the door behind him.

"But how?"

"… The Room of Requirements. I was looking for a gift for you and it presented to me with a kitchen, funny, isn't it?" Unsure if it was because of the setting or the special date, but he could've sworn her smile had never been brighter. "I thought a cupcake would be the most suitable, you know… because it is your birthday. I don't think you would've enjoyed me bringing a full cake." He didn't answer, instead, his eyes focused on the sweet between his fingers; meaningful in so many ways. "Please?"

Raising his left hand, he used his index finger to collect some of the cream, hesitantly approaching it to his mouth to taste, not without first suspiciously glancing at the girl.

"Sweet."

"It is supposed to be, not too much, I hope." She cleared her throat for a second time and waited for a further reaction in awkward silence. Till the moment she simply couldn't stand it any longer and technically burped his name, only to be found by her own. "Professor S-"

"Miss Granger." Both of them immediately hushed and stared into each other's eyes, with the girl fearing for him to be reading her thoughts. "What are you playing at?"

"I… I am not playing anything, I just- listen, sir, I came to talk there is something-" she couldn't finish an idea before starting another, tripping with her own words.

"There is always something with you, a problem, an essay, a question, an answer, a smart comment which nobody cares to listen… I believe I made myself clear a long time ago; I do not have time for games. What. Is. It?" he took his time to pronounce every word, aware of the feelings that the right pressure in every subtle tone of his voice could provoke to others.

"I..." she took a deep breath while staring at the remaining cupcake still in his hand, and then simply moved forward to smack it from him, directly to the floor. But, before he could even react to such an incredibly disrespectful action, the girl was already standing in her tip toes against his chest.

The Potions Master almost fell back, caught by surprise, but he managed to plant himself to the floor by pushing back against her, such a grave mistake. The girl took the chance and hanged her own arms around his neck, forcing him down in a kiss.

Severus Snape was an occlumens, so as to say, excellent at hiding his emotions, but for some reason that escaped his train of thought, he couldn't simply push her away and threat to expel her in the menacing voice he was positive he was supposed to use. Instead, he softly grabbed her by the arms and moved back only enough to search her face.

"Oh what the-" that was all he was physically able to pronounce before kissing her back in a way he wouldn't have considered himself capable of in years. Maybe because of the long wait, maybe because of the fear of losing her again, or maybe just because he could, for now.

Things started to get warmer when step by step Hermione found herself trapped in the same position that had started the big mess; between her professor and the desk, with her arms struggling to get rid o his robes, finally being discarded to the floor. Meanwhile, Snape had proved himself perfectly capable of handing some robes, with the girl's already lying to their feet and finding great pleasure in the smooth feeling of her shirt underneath the inconvenient jumper. Damn winter.

While still being caught in the heat of the moment, the man pushed Hermione closer, gaining a small moan of surprise from the witch; he used his free hand to get rid of half the papers formerly waiting on his desk, and with a grunt he lifted her smaller body to be placed on the surface. Everything was happening so fast, the visit, the knocking, the present, the kissing, the robes on the floor, the sweet sweet taste of sugar and cream in her lips… then while still half numb by the strong sensations, a thought crossed his mind.

"What did you do…" his voice came out in the huskiest tone he had ever heard from himself, directly to her right ear. "… to me?"

"I just-" The sound giving her chills through her spine. "-wanted you to be honest."

"You don't simply drug a Potions Master and expect him to not notice…" He snorted in her neck, feeling her body tremble beneath his breath; his right hand travelling down and up her thigh in a playful and tortuous way. "What did you do…?"

"It seems it wasn't enough." A whimper caught in her chest when his long fingers went a bit too high, only to retract.

"Don't tell me you have been playing potions with that Weasley boy… the sensation is so similar to that bloody morning." He made a fist of her shirt, increasing the feeling of the fabric against his fingers. "So numb."

"Several tries… particularly on myself, haven't you noticed me a bit-" her leg pushed softly against his pants, causing him to groan and slightly move back. "-impulsive lately?"

"That explains-" he gulped, with the girl pushing his coat off his shoulders. "-quite a bit."

They continued to struggle, not only with their clothes, but with their minds, as she couldn't recall her primary reason to be there, and he couldn't bring himself to stop everything from going any further; something about them not seeing each other again whirled in the back of his brain, but the sensation of her smooth skin was far more present than any logical thinking.

This, at least, till the sight of her half naked body on his desk. The feeling of it was surreal, something he could've only dreamed of, but the sight of it was like a slap of reality. He stopped and leaned back only to contemplate the small marks of his kisses around her neck and chest, creating small spots of color red over her smooth complexion. The shirt that had worked as a logical connection moments ago was now completely opened for him to see the delicate decorations of her brassier. However, the worst part was her face, expressing just as much as her actions; eyes half closed and lips slightly parted. She was going to be the death of him. It was indeed a slap of reality.

"Her- Miss Granger, you and I- both- are clearly under the effects of some devious potion of your own creation, you shouldn't have, we shouldn't have-"

"I just want you to be honest, I need you to stop thinking and overanalyzing for just one moment." Her hand reached for his arm, but the man stepped back, fearing to lose the ounce of re-gained self-control. "It has been hard for me, too."

"What exactly? Following your hormones?"

"Taking decisions. It is so hard to take decisions when you are over analyzing everything, I worked hard with the potion, a simple disconnection, a break… to have an honest answer, and now I want an honest answer from you."

Her tone had evenly moved from needy to serious, but her eyes were still burning. For this moment the Potions Master was not only physically confused, as half his body wanted to kick her out his office for daring to drug him, while the other still contemplated the chance of ravaging her right there; no, he was also mentally bewildered, what was the girl talking about?

"I am staying." He remained silent, staring at her face, staying where? His office? His quarters? The witch seemed to decode his lack of understanding as she proceeded "Professor McGonagall offered me a job as a teacher starting next year, I am staying."

He took a deep breath.

"Here."

His left hand covered half his face and ran through his hair.

"With you."

The breath was out.

"I will not longer be your student, I will stop calling you professor, and we would have not lost all this time. We could… you know, make it work."

His heart was going to stop working any minute, he was sure.

"If you please."

Damn that potion, damn his expression, damn his hands, damn his thoughts; everything was racing in his mind and with the numb sensation preventing him from biting his own tongue, there was no place to hide, damn and clever witch.

"Leave." His hands fell heavily to both of his sides, while catching her eyes in the exact moment they reflected truthful pain.

"I am not leaving; I want to know how you feel about me staying. And it has to be now, now that the potion is still working."

"No. You do not understand. I don't want you just to leave this office; I want you to leave the place, the country if it serves you, but leave!"

Silence.

The girl was clearly not expecting him to give such an answer, not in such a way, and most definitely not with such words. She wanted a reason, an explanation for such a cruel response, but he was not providing any. "I don't understand" was all she could mutter.

"You don't understand? Well then, allow me to enlighten you in this moment of blindness, Miss Granger, I want you OUT of this castle." A small pause. "And out of my office… now."

Unsure if it was because of the potion still present in her brain, she felt tears accumulating in her eyes, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction, so in an outstanding demonstration of agility she jumped off the desk, picked all of her discarded clothes and belongings from the floor and rushed to the door, not looking back.

It was a bit hard running while trying to get properly dressed, especially at night. She realized wistfully that the one thing preventing her from crashing with the walls was the fact that she had gone through those corridors so many times that it felt almost natural running in complete darkness through them. The brunette ran all the way back to her common room and made her best effort to wipe her cheeks before entering, just in case any other Gryffindor was still up, lucky her there were only two first years who didn't mind her, allowing her to walk as fast as she could upstairs to her room, and once she was in there, completely alone, she finally allowed herself to burst into tears while falling apart to the floor.

Meanwhile, still in his office, Professor Snape had remained facing his desk, only ten minutes later he was physically capable of collecting the essays from the floor and placing them back on the wood. He turned around, checking the room was empty and approached the door to make sure it was properly closed; there was no clear thought while doing any of these, every movement as mechanical as the previous one, till his left foot almost stomped on the cupcake still lying on the stone. He contemplated taking it… but his anger was first and with a swing of his wand the cupcake had already turned to ashes. Everything was just fine in the morning, everything was perfect one hour ago, everything was back to normal… and then, in only a few minutes, the girl had managed to remember him what a disgusting and nasty man he could be.

That was what he repeated himself over and over again. There was no excuse for his words, though… it was not really how he had wanted to proceed; yes, he wanted Hermione Granger out of the castle, but it was not because of his lack of sensibility, but quite the opposite; the idea of the most brilliant witch of her age wasting her mind and her youth to teach in a school was not just wicked, but terrifying. He couldn't do that to her, he couldn't do that to the world, and so his mind couldn't do better than translate all of those emotions into one simply answer "Leave." He repeated in a self-pitiful tone before smirking and retreating to his bed. This was going to be a hell of a school term.

Days went by, with the girl going back to her usual behavior, as composed and bright as ever. He had expected for her to avoid his presence, at least for a minimal amount of time, but it was not like it. Hermione Granger had once again proved herself as a non-conventional teenager rather than or displaying an impressive façade, since she had not only attended all of her potion classes, but also participated just as actively as usual; it was so disturbing that he even considered the girl to have obliviated herself.

Days became weeks, and Professor Snape had just become used to the idea of having lost her for the greater good; allowing himself from time to time only a few minutes to think in the "what ifs" of his decision, but every session of it ended up with a bottle of fire whisky and a terrible headache so they became quite rare. Everything had once again gone back to normal… till one afternoon.

The potion class with the seventh year had just finished, all of the students (including the brunette) had left the place and he had just approached a cabinet to check some inventory, when he heard the door creaked. He didn't mind turning around, assuming it was some careless student coming back for some forgotten belonging.

"I know you are busy, sir, but… Think we could have a word?"

"Mr. Potter." The man left the small flask back in the cabinet and turned to face the boy, trying not to show how truly surprised he was. What could the boy who lived possibly want? "I am, as you stated, a busy man, but depending on the matter I may pay you some attention."

"It is –hum-" Nervous, Harry Potter was most definitely nervous. Snape remained calm, in spite of his guts telling him something was not right. "I don't mean to meddle, sir, I am just worried, about –hum-"

"Mr. Potter, are you here to talk or to mumble? I do not have time for-"

"It is about Hermione." Oh, damn, his sixth sense was right, this was not good. Snape made an effort to keep his face as blank as possible, while waiting for the boy to add any information. "I mean… This is not of my business, and I- well, she will not say anything, and she does not even know that I know, so I thought that perhaps you could, well…" the boy couldn't stop playing with his hands, this was way harder than he had expected.

"She doesn't know that you know what exactly?" Not good. This was not looking good.

"She doesn't know that I know that you two –well- hum" he cleared his throat "-Dating?" Snape's face became paper white "You don't need to worry, I actually think you two look good together, when you see past the age difference and- I guess what I am trying to say is: I am happy for both of you." He waited a few seconds, to see if the older man wanted to add anything, but Snape was currently busy trying not to faint. "The thing is: do you think you could perhaps…" the boy went back to nervous and ran an anxious hand through his messy hair. "… give her a break?"

"Excuse me?" Now he couldn't remain quiet, just what on Earth was he implying?

"I know, I know, this is not of my business, but sir, I am truly worried for her; perhaps you have not noticed anything because it has been clearly not happening in your class, but… she has been skipping a lot of classes, and when I mean a lot it is a normal student lot, not Hermione kind of lot, professor Sprout scolded her yesterday and I fear her grades are just-" This was simply too much information to process.

"Pardon me, Mr. Potter, but first things first; I am NOT dating Miss Granger, I never have, I never will" the sentence pinched the back of his head "that would be highly inappropriate from a teacher, so I do not just fail to see the reasons for your 'accusations' but I also fail to understand what you could possibly mean by me giving her a break, I am just asking her the same as I ask from you, and unless you are as you stated failing all of your other classes, I really do not understand what all of this is about."

The smaller boy turned around, checking the place for others, and only then dared to offer an answer, after carefully standing one step closer.

"With all due respect, sir, I know you are the reason Hermione leaves her room every evening and comes back way past curfew completely exhausted. I am just telling you that whatever you are asking her-" he seemed to repent his word choice "- or whatever you two in mutual agreement are doing is clearly affecting her. We are really close to the N.E.W.T exams, she cannot fail now. Give. Her. A. Break."

Professor Snape couldn't believe it, he was being blamed for something he had definitely no idea was happening; this was insulting to say the least. He took a deep breath and leaned down in the most menacing way he could manage, in order to prove his words as true.

"Listen to me, Potter. I have absolutely no idea of the whereabouts of your 'precious' friend, the one thing I can assure you is that whatever she is doing, and whoever she is doing it with is none of my business, so next time you decide to stand for her or protect her virtue, if that is what you are implying by all this circus, I suggest you go and ask her first, because, as always, you understood everything wrong." The younger took his time to analyze the man's expression, searching for any hint of lie, finding nothing by indignation.

"Fine. Will do." Then, without further words or apologies he turned around and left the classroom.

Professor Snape had lived his whole life with gossips about his name; he was used to them, to ignore and co-exist with them. But not this one; he was determined to find out how much of this rumor was true.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

I am particularly flattered by how you seem to enjoy my portrait of Professor Snape. Thank you for all the feedback.

 **Chapter 25:**

Professor Severus Snape was not considered a patient man, but truth be told, he actually was; it just depended on the kind of patience expected from him. He couldn't tolerate stupidity or mediocrity for too long, but he had no problem waiting for the paint in the wall to dry if it meant proving a point. This is why he had calmly headed back to his office and taken from the bottom drawer of his desk the magical map that the brunette had given him for Christmas, he rolled his eyes while repeating the cheesy phrase to open it and searched with complete serenity for the name of the witch.

He found her on the Gryffindor common room, together with her friends. Snorting as a sign of sarcasm he proceeded to continue checking the inventory in a piece of parchment, occasionally eyeing the map to corroborate the girl's location as still as before.

It was only about one hour later that the Gryffindor had disappeared from the Gryffindor tower, with the man searching through the map to find the small steps under her name moving through the castle corridors, and then: gone.

They were simply gone.

Professor Snape checked out the map a total of three times; being completely sure she was in no corner of it, just where the heck did that girl go? For the moment he had decided to check for the tenth time, five hours later, the girl was magically back to her room, alone.

The next day he waited for the evening to come, and repeated the same procedure, waiting for the girl to leave her common room, following her steps through the hallways and corridors… and then gone once again, in the same place as before.

"What are you doing, Hermione…? Where are you hiding?" His eyes focused on the same spot where the girl's name had disappeared only a few seconds ago, hoping for any sign, and then… he remembered.

"The requirements room… the one place in the castle which does not appear on the map. You are rather hiding in it, or in another teacher's private quarters." He actually contemplated the chances of the girl being secluded somewhere in the castle with other teacher such as Flitwick or Binns while tapping the wooden surface of his desk with his fingers; no, she would not dare, nobody would dare.

However, he didn't have much time to think about any weird possibility such as those, since a second set of steps approaching the place on the map called his full attention "… Ronald Weasley." The name came out as spit from his mouth. Was it just a coincidence for the boy to be there…? He paid close attention, even reclining in his chair, to the footsteps under the Gryffindor's name, and then, they were gone as well.

Damn.

That was the most subtle word that actually crossed his mind; he had so many questions such as: what was Hermione Granger doing every single night? Why in the requirements room? Why was the Weasley dunderhead with her? Why was she failing all of her other subjects? Why was she so exhausted? Why? Why? Why?; there was, of course, a rather simply answer that he stubbornly shook away from his head: they were back together… he couldn't stop thinking about Harry's words. What if the boy was right? What if the Boy who lived had actually understood the reason for her behavior well, but got only the 'who' wrong? If her best friend had come to the conclusion of the girl losing her outstanding self for being in some kind o relationship who was he to disagree?

No, that couldn't be. The witch was simply not that stupid.

This time, he couldn't focus in any other tasks, all of his attention was concentrated on the inch of parchment where both set of footsteps had disappeared; waiting, almost praying for anything to happen , anything that could provide him with a better explanation. About three hours later only the name of Ronald Weasley appeared on the map, heading back to the Gryffindor tower, but Hermione? No track. Or at least not till one hour later, about 1 am… he could perfectly understand why the girl was failing her morning classes, especially if she found herself 'physically exhausted'.

Snape quickly stood up from his desk, heading the door. Then back, he couldn't simply appear in front of her and demand explanations; He was nothing to her but her professor, and she was apparently not breaking any rule, at least not any rule that he had evidence of. The picture of a lion trapped in a cage crossed his mind as he found himself walking in circles around his office, walking to the door, repenting and heading back to check her location in the map, and then back to the door thinking he still could catch her in her way back to the Gryffindor tower.

Finally, he desisted, the brunette was already in her personal quarters and he had, after all, no right to demand explanations; she was free to do whatever she wanted with whoever she wished to, he was wide aware of this, but yet, he couldn't ignore the feeling of betrayal present in his chest.

The next morning was particularly painful, as he beheld with different eyes the beautiful woman currently entering his classroom, looking as astonishing as ever while giggling and laughing; oh, how he missed those giggles. This was the problem: The reason for her happiness and good humor was no other than Ronald Weasley, the boy was whispering something; creating waves of joy in the girl, and he felt his blood boil. They were dating, they were definitely dating.

He tried to endure the sound, the vision of the woman he had lost flirting with another man, but he simply couldn't.

BAM.

The heavy sound of the most ridiculously massive book he could find being dropped on the table in front of both gryffindors startled them both.

"Since you are feeling quite eloquent today, Mr. Weasley, perhaps you could indulge us with whatever story you are telling Miss Granger?" His left brow sarcastically high.

While the boy seemed honestly embarrassed and petrified, not just by the book but by the killing stare that Snape was granting him, Hermione was quite the opposite; she seemed plainly pissed off.

"It is not time for the class to start, we are still on recess, and furthermore we are allowed to laugh." Snape made an effort to try and remember if the girl had always been than cheeky and impertinent or if this was the first time she had shown such sign of disrespect for him.

"This is a classroom, Miss Granger, not a slumber party; there is plenty of room in the castle for silly giggles, feel free to leave."

Half of the class looked intently at Hermione, waiting for her response. Both of them, teacher and student seemed to have involved in a staring contest of some sort or at least till Hermione looked away, creating the wrong impression of having lost the battle.

"No need to leave, sir. I will just wait for your presence to absorb any sense of joy from the environment." He couldn't believe his ears, he contemplated as the girl seemed to not even mind her words, as if she hadn't been heard. He opened his mouth to give her as much as detention as physically possible for a seventh year student only one month away from graduating, but before he could even mutter the first sound, Ron stood up.

"She didn't mean to, professor Snape, she… hum- Hermione, say something." The boy hit softly the girl with her right elbow, inviting her to move, but she merely ignored him.

"I think Miss Granger has already said enough, Mr. Weasley, you don't need to jump in her defense."

That was all he said before counting to ten and beginning the class.

But he was not forgetting this. She was paying.

That night, and with the same patience as the first time, he waited for her footsteps to disappear around the requirements room, followed by those of Ronald Weasley. He waited for way shorter than he had expected, since the red haired was gone only about half an hour later and only the brunette was left alone hiding behind the walls.

With a clear objective in his mind he took the map and moved out of his office, avoiding all inconveniences in his way up, he did not have an invisibility cloak, but he was positive that hiding in the shadows as he had done for his whole life was going to have the same impact on the girl.

Almost an hour later the wall crumbled, and he smirked triumphant, knowing himself correct as always; that was definitely the famous requirements room. From the inside Hermione Granger appeared, wearing her casual clothes; a comfortable sweater, a pair of jeans and her satchel, nothing seemed particularly out of place. She was just as beautiful as he remembered; her thin figure would make a sack of potatoes looks good.

"Going for a walk so late?"

"OH GOD!" Her heart jumped out of her chest, her satchel felt to the ground victim of the shock, with a couple of books falling from it, the girl got them quickly back in while looking at Snape with much surprise. "What are you-" she stood up in order to face him better "Are you spying on me?"

His tongue twitched in his mouth, creating a 'tch' sound repeated twice "such a serious accusation" true, though. "Now, what could a young Gryffindor such as yourself be doing inside the Requirements Room at a time like this?" It was not intended or planned, but that phrase, previously said to the golden trio in the first year hit the girl as no other words could have; it meant he knew something, it meant he had caught her just like in the first year, and overall, it meant she continued to be nothing but an eleven-years-old student for him.

And she hesitated, this time she was alone.

"Uh… I – I was just-" Back to being a little girl in his shadow, she remembered her reasons to fear him in that first year; he always knew everything.

"You ought to be more careful… people will think you are up to something." She waited, if her memory did not fail her (and it rarely did), this was the moment in which the man stared to Harry (who was being currently replaced with herself) and then left in an overdramatic way. Problem was he was not leaving.

The Gryffindor took a deep breath, trying to recover her courage.

"By people you mean only you? I was just… patrolling." Her chin up in a proud expression.

"Patrolling…? Is that how you, teenagers, call the hormonal meetings happening in the hallways, nowadays?" his arms folded in his chest.

And her jaw dropped, he didn't, he was not implying she was… The brunette didn't even have enough time to move from shock to indignation, since the man moved one step closer, almost cornering her with a wall, while circling her as a shark.

"Or perhaps I shall ask Mr. Weasley?" The boy's name seemed to snap her back to reality.

"Ron has nothing to do with this, you have no right to-"

"I wonder if Professor McGonagall knows her brightest Gryffindor is skipping classes so she can spend her time with some boy at night."

"Oh, I see…" Now her face seemed worryingly composed "I do not have time for any jealous scenes, so if you excuse me." She made an attempt to avoid him from the left, but he caught her by the arm, gaining him a look full of anger.

"You have not been dismissed yet." She didn't answer, and simply stepped back so they were facing once again, only closer than before. They remained in silence for a few seconds while Snape paid much attention to her body from different angles, looking, searching for a reason… he knew her, If her encounter with the Weasley dunderhead happened, then something would give her away, just as her clothes and hair betrayed each encounter with himself. Then, he saw it, slight and visible only to the light of the one candle in the hallway, there it was; a reddish mark on her neck, unmistakable sign of kissing, if not more. He slowly debated between what words could hurt her the most, because for this moment he was only sure he wanted her to pay for her lack of respect, not only for him as a teacher, but for whatever had happened between them. Yes, he was stubborn, but now that everything was over it was finally time to admit that there had been something, and she… she was clearly not caring for it, not a bit, and it only hurt him more.

"Are you giving me detention? Because if you are, I demand to know the reason for it, I am a prefect and I am allowed to be out past curfew, so is Ronald so don't you dare release your anger on him."

He used his wand to remove the hair from her shoulder, exposing her neck. "The reason, Miss Granger, happens to be the use of your title as a prefect as a mean to justify your inappropriate behavior." The girl's hand flew to cover her neck, completely red.

"That is not- That is not what you- that is-"

"Save your stuttering for yourself, and simply talk the moment you are ready to confess." He finished circling the girl and planted himself behind her, with the girl feeling ten times more nervous because of it.

"Ron and I… we were not…" Trying to focus on something, trying to re-gain her courage, the girl finally managed to offer him a full sentence "With all due respect, sir, I fail to see why it would be of your business."

He felt half his body boiling in fury, the girl was definitely dating Ronald Weasley. Once he had rejected her she had run back to that excuse of ex boyfriend, having so many better options she had replaced him with the first silly and ineptest boy that appeared. And it hurt. But could always hurt more; he wanted to know how far the blandest of the Weasleys had been allowed to go.

"Well, Miss Granger… I guess we are about to know just how much of my business it truly is." Without the girl noticing, he had slowly and carefully placed his wand on her back, he barely lifted his wand before whispering in her ear "legeremens."

Flashes of memories hit his mind, much to his surprise many of himself; the first kiss, Harry, the Weasley girl being dragged into it, her visits, he jumped from memory to memory aware none of them was the one he was looking for, till… Ronald Weasley appeared on the picture. He focused.

The girl standing in the middle of a classroom, but with casual clothes, both of them seemed to be having a normal conversation till the boy grabbed her by the neck and kissed her so uncoordinatedly the man thought his saliva was going to drip from her chin, with his hands on her waist and… he couldn't stand it any longer, luckily for both of them, the girl managed to kick him out of her mind. Hermione had almost fallen to the ground, gasping for air as the effort of fighting him with absolutely no training had nearly brought her to her knees.

"I-" the silence of the castle was broken once again "I can't believe" pant "I can't believe you did it… you had told me…!"

Severus Snape had only loved two women in his whole life; one widely known, Lily Potter, and then one that nobody was ever supposed to find out about, Hermione Granger. He had fallen for both of them sharing the same attributes; bright and kind as no other witch of their corresponding ages, unique in their own ways. Both of them beautiful with no comparison, they were no model from a cover magazine, no, it was a different kind of beauty, the one you do not notice the first time you see them, but with time, with conversations, with small details. He had fallen so hard for both of them… and now he was about to lose both in the exact same way.

"You never cease to surprise me…" The potions master smirked "I never portrayed you as a-" the last word caught in his mouth.

Her eyes opened, she knew what was coming and dared him to continue with the eyes.

"A what? I am a what, sir?"

"… a whore."

The slap echoed so loud through the hallways even two portraits woke up only to fall asleep once again almost immediately. Professor Snape remained in his place with his face down, covered by a curtain of hair, hiding the red spot in his left cheek, burning because of the fierce impact.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out, and after shifting her weight from one foot to the other she simply left the man standing alone in the hallway. Not caring much for any consequence, he could perfectly expel her and she would not repent.

Meanwhile, Severus Snape remained in his place, attempting to make sense of all of the events of the past days, trying to place every feeling, together with its corresponding memory in the most logical of the opinions, desperately trying to convince himself that he had never lost her, because he had never actually had her to begin with and none of this was actually his fault.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thank you for all your nice words and reviews, just wanted to let you know the next chapter should be the last one.

 **Chapter 26:**

It finally happened; Hermione stopped attending his classes. Two days after the biggest slap in the face of his life, he found himself wandering around his own classroom, seconds before starting his class, with all of his students already sitting, anxiously waiting for her to cross the door, but it did not happen. And it would not happen either in the following days, or weeks.

He mused the idea of actually suspending the girl, but her faults were not enough for it, the term was almost over, they were having their NEWTs in just two weeks, which meant today's class was officially their last.

There was no real expectation this time, aware she was not coming, he had gotten used to the feeling of it; her absence, the impression of nothing. Literally nothing. Classes had gone back to being a monotonous repetition of words and routines, nothing remotely interesting happening. Yet, he couldn't help gazing at her during breakfast or dinner, checking on her rather cold and distant relationship with Ronald Weasley, strange to say the least, he had assumed it to be the cover for their night out sessions, but tried not to give it much thought, it was completely wasteful after all.

Though there was no expectation of anything happening, he couldn't bare the sight of his seventh students leaving his classroom for the final time, aware it meant she was officially not returning to that physical space ever again, so he simply turned around while all of them left and placed his sight in some bland spot of his desk, pretending to be the busiest man on the castle. At least until he heard it.

"Sir."

A knot formed in his stomach, and he made an effort to take a breath and turn around. Harry Potter's voice meant doubtfully good.

"Yes?"

"You seem super busy staring at your desk," he could detect sarcasm in his voice " but I was just wondering if we could… you know, talk?" Snape rolled his eyes, the boy had to be kidding, the last time he approached him to 'talk' it had ended being a complete mess.

"Unless it is related to your potions NEWTs, I think I will have to pass. Is this the case?"

"Yes" Snape moved to leave the room "No! I mean… wait, wait, it is… You know what it is about!"

"No, I don't, and I don't hold interest on it either." He mumbled while approaching his own door, he would leave the boy talking alone in the middle of his own classroom if necessary.

"Ginny told me about Hermione!" Snape damned one hundred times after realizing in just micro seconds that he had frozen to the mention of her name. He just couldn't help it, the girl still held power over him.

"I don't know exactly what is happening." The boy had moved all the way through the place to be only a few meters away from the man "I have Hermione's version which is completely vague, I have Ron's version which is… biased to say the least, and I have Ginny's which…" his eyes drifted to the floor "which I honestly hope is full of lies. I don't know what is happening, and it is… we are leaving." When Harry's eyes looked back at him, Snape noticed the tears slightly gathering, and in spite of not being the most sympathetic man alive he could relate to the boy's frustration; observing the world around you falling apart and not having idea why, with the departure coming right across the street. So he stayed, it was the least he could do.

"We are leaving, and I don't know what to do or how to help, and there is Ron who may be my best friend but clearly messed up and then there is Ginny who is angry at so many people I can't even try to calm her down and-and-" Snape tried to follow the conversation so far, but it was going too fast and with too many names to his likes "and there is Hermione, who… I don't know what is happening with her, I thought it was because of you, but maybe it was because of Ron, and I am so confused right now that it could be Myrtle's fault and make perfect sense." At least the boy was just as confused as him "and then…" Harry's eyes locked on Snape. "… there is you."

He swallowed.

"Ginny told me what you did."

What he did?

"You shouldn't have… even calling her Mud-" he hushed himself "that would have been better."

Snape had thought one million times about his words, or the word for the matter. He had gone through many stages; anger for her betrayal, guiltiness for his words, fear of not seeing her again, only to get back to guiltiness every time, but at the end of the day he could always sleep thinking 'It doesn't really matter anymore, what it's done, it's done'. The boy snapped him back to Earth.

"Will you not say anything?"

"Excuse me?"

"I was… I was expecting, I don't know, for you to tell me you hadn't done it or- I know you two are not dating anymore, I apologize for the last time, I really do. But it was not until this weekend that Ginny finally told me everything and I could finally understand the smallest piece of information, I really thought you two were dating! I didn't know about Ron, and it was wrong of me to come and accuse you."

"It was, indeed."

"But… between all the things I don't know, there are a couple things I do know better than anyone else." In spite of being tired of all the drama, the Gryffindor had managed to wake up his curiosity.

"And what could that be, Mister Potter? Please, enlighten me."

"You still love Hermione."

Silence.

"You dare come to my own classroom not once, but twice only to make your same mistakes, accusing me of false statements, poorly justified and clearly wrong. This is insulting. But I guess I could not expect better from the son of a man who-"

"I have seen how you look at her from the high table." Snape shut, unsure if because of his shock at the lack of respect or the fear of finding himself exposed. "It is the same look you had in all of the memories of you looking at… well… mom. The eyes of someone who mourns something lost."

"That is not-"

"Hermione is not lost; she is still in the castle, sir. But she will not be in here forever."

Snape buffled and rolled his eyes, this conversation had got drastically devastating.

"Listen carefully, Mister Potter… you can take all of your pitiful attempts of assumptions and take them all the way back to London in that train because for the umpteenth time you have gotten everything wrong, now, if you don't mind. I have a-" false "-meeting to attend." He turned on his heels and abruptly opened the door, but just the minute he was about to cross the threshold the boy shouted.

"She looks at you in the same way."

The echo of those words attached to him for the following week. He wanted now more than ever all of the seventh students out of the freaking castle, all of them meant trouble. Every time he was starting to recover from all of the ups and downs Potter would come to his classroom, the Weasley boy would bump into him during night patrols, or the worst one; Hermione Know-it-all Granger would enter the Great Hall, beautiful, delicate, charming.

'She looks at you in the same way' if she did, he couldn't tell. Every time he had attempted looking her way the girl was heading the exact opposite. It could not be.

He was so immersed in these thoughts he didn't notice the small figure walking his way through the second floor corridor; The Gryffindor was with her full attention on a book between her hands, completely blocking her sight. For the moment he had realized her presence, their collision was inevitable.

She was the only one to actually fall to the ground; her body ricocheted causing her to lose balance and her book, both to the floor.

"Ow!" There was a grunt, expressing her discomfort at the feeling of the stone hitting her buttocks. "I am sorry, I wasn't paying attention, it was my…" her voice became week and feel into oblivion when she finally realized who she had bumped into. "fault." Her hands flew to pick the book and stand up. "Sorry, professor."

He could've said so many sarcastic things, so many answers crossed his mind… but it had already been enough. He was tired of the fights, the thoughts, the guilt, the dreams, and so his only answer was a nod.

"Watch your steps." His eyes placed on the book in her hand ' _Advanced Potions'_ a set of questions displayed, was she studying for her NEWTs? Was she preparing something? Was she…? Nothing really mattered anymore and with a shake of his head he continued his way through the corridor. Halfway he had a strange feeling, a familiar sensation, unsettling and uncomfortable, a pinch in the back of his head… he turned around, and then he understood: the eyes of someone who mourns the loss. In the exact place where he had left her, Hermione stood holding the Advance Potions edition against her chest and an expression filled with longing. It only last one second, before the girl blushed fiercely and turned around, almost running.

He made an effort to ignore it, he really did, but that devastating image of her chased him for the remaining week.

NEWTs were over, and now it was only time to know the results, teachers had started some kind of gambling game in the staff room; he had previously participated in them, not because he needed the money at all, but because he rejoiced in the feeling of knowing half of them were failing potions for sure.

"And well, Severus…? Any bet this year? Half of your class failing as usual?" Flitwick seemed actually angry at the idea, it made sense. He always left the room with his pockets full of gold.

"Believe it or not, Filius, I actually trust the other half of my students to approve… maybe half plus one this year, but no… I will not be betting money, I am just here for the- what is the expression?" his hands raised together with his eyebrows "laughs of it?" his eyes went through the coarse blackboard, divided into two categories "success" and "failure", most of the names of the students placed on the success part, as all of the teachers seemed to be coaxed into pretending they liked their students even after departure.

Then, something quite unique happened… something he had never suspected in previous years, not even him; Hermione's name was written in several subjects down the 'Failure' list. His jaw clenched and the feeling of his heart stopping for a minute confused him if between anger to his colleagues or disappointment for the girl.

"Will you write her name as well in potions, Severus?" McGonagall's soft voice sounded behind him, but the potions master didn't mind turning around, his eyes checking all of the subjects she was expected to fail.

"… Interesting, even when half the staff seems to have realized her knowledge was purely academic and based in books, you happen to still believe in your… protected one?" The real name that had crossed his mind was 'pet', but that would have been too much. The woman simply smiled.

"Miss Granger had proven just as capable at practice as in theory, Severus, and you know it." The soft expression of her smile switched to a frown. "I cannot deny her performance in all of her classes during the last month was… disappointing, to say the least. But I fail to see how one month of whatever issue the poor girl is going through could possibly cause her to forget 7 years of perfection."

While he listened to the woman's description his mind actually drifted back to that corridor, the book she was holding, the look in her face… and then he finally sighed and raised his hand.

"I thought you were not taking place in these frivolities this year, did my speech change your mind?" The Headmistress placed a single piece of white chalk in his hand.

"I already said it" His neat handwriting carefully wrote the one name of the girl next to the words 'Potions' and right down 'succeed expectations'. "I am here for the laughs."

There was only one day left before the students would go back to London, or wherever they came from. The idea of the girl leaving had finally settled in him, together with the routine. The never ending repetition of events in his mind, such as his words, her slap, and most importantly their last encounter in that corridor had slowly slid out of his thoughts and were currently something that occupied only half of his time.

That at least, till he heard her. During one of his last night patrols he had heard, ever so slightly the sound of a female voice, it sounded disturbingly familiar, so he paid closer attention in order to catch the origin of it.

"I already told you, we have nothing to talk about, let's just go back to-" Granger, it was definitely the brunette abusing her privileges once again, but who was she-

"Herms, Herms, please, just wait, I just don't understand, did I-" He couldn't roll his eyes harder even if he tried, it was obviously the Weasley dunderhead. He contemplated the idea of simply ignoring them, since as she had stated so many times, they were both 'prefects' so they were allowed to be out this late, that, together with the disgusting idea of seeing them together made him turn the opposite way.

"There is nothing to explain or understand, Ron, this is what I decided, so please just let it go and-"

"I believe Miss Granger has made herself clear, Mister Weasley… let. Her. Go." Snape couldn't ignore the sense of distress in her final words and had managed to almost teleport to their side, catching the boy by the wrist, just when the redhead had grabbed the girl by the upper arm, preventing her from leaving.

Both pair of eyes flew up to him, with the boy quickly stepping back, removing his arm from his grab. In spite of being sure the boy would have most definitely kneeled for forgiveness in the past days, now he was just 18 hours away from stop being his professor or any form of authority and the boy knew it. He knew. So, he simply stood back at him.

"Professor Snape, we were just having a conversation, if you could let us alone, we could-"

"Oh…" that was all it took for the boy to hush, the exaggeration of his mouth to that simple vowel sound. "I will leave both of you alone…" and then his head tilted to Hermione's side "if that is what Miss Granger wishes for as well." The man remained in place, completely unsure of what he was doing, everything was over, he was so positive everything was going smoothly back to normal and then here was he, completely unsure if he was protecting her or plainly being an inconvenience with her new lover.

"I-" she stammered and swallowed "I think you should get ahead, Ron. I-" her eyes shifting from the man's to the boy's and back. "I still have to go get some things, we can -hum- continue talking tomorrow morning."

Ron looked particularly offended before finally spitting a single "Fine." And leaving. The girl waited for the boy to turn around the corner and then sighed.

"Thank you, professor." She attempted to leave but was caught by the hand. This, the simply selection of her hand as place to be trapped made her blush, because she knew he was not holding her back as a student, he would never touch so intimately a student. No, he was holding her back as her. So she stopped right away.

"Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir?" she turned around, but found herself unable to look him in the eye.

"If you are-" he paused… why was this happening now? Eighteen more hours and she would be out of the castle for good, and then here she was, making everything uncomfortable once again. "If Weasley is somehow… and in any way being an inconvenience for you-" and then there was another pause, what was he supposed to do? He could only him detention for what? Three hours top? He felt the girl slowly remove her hand from his.

"No need, sir." There was a smile, which looked off together with the slightly sad tone of her voice "Ron is not abusing me anyhow, he is just… worried."

"He is not the only one." Her eyes opened wide.

"Are you…?"

"Potter." He interrupted. "And half of the staff." There was a long pause between both of them, with the slight light from the single candle enlightening their faces, just like that previous time.

"Thank you." She talked "for helping me with Ron, now… I have to get back to-"

"Hermione." This was the second time; she had attempted to leave but could not. How could she after hearing him calling her by her given name? She simply stayed in her place with her mouth open in a surprised expression. "This is by all means the last time we are both talking, and so I am asking you for the last time to be honest with me, I think that in spite of everything that has-" he gulped "-happened, I deserve this from you; what is happening?"

Her mouth opened and closed a couple times, as if looking for the correct words.

"Is it even important now?"

"It had never been as important as now. I…" this was highly uncomfortable; he would rather being attacked by Nagini once again that being in this awkward conversation for any longer. But there was no other moment; it had to be now, now or never. "I just need to know, is this all because of what I told you? Are you really acting so immature because of my opinion of you? I had never had you in such a low-"

Her sad expression mixed with anger, a strange mixture of tears clouding her eyes together with a frown.

"You don't need to worry, professor, I can assure you nothing of this is because of you. It never was, it never will. Now, if your conscious is in peace, I really need to-"

"I am sorry." And for the third time that night, she froze. "I-" Professor Snape had never been good at apologizing, it was at his very top list of things he was bad at, especially when he really meant it. "I should have not called you that. It was wrong of me; it was out of place, it was wrong as a teacher and as a man. And I am sorry. This is not about my conscious, I just need to know that tomorrow, when you get on that train, when you become a successful witch in whatever area becomes of your preference, given your remarkable skills at everything you try, when you accomplish every possible goal you settle for yourself, I need to know that-" her eyes were so beautiful while waiting for the continuation "you will be alright. Just tell me you will be all right."

"Professor Snape, I…"

"And if" he added "only if possible, you forgive me." He had displayed every word in his ever so smooth voice, with his jaw clenched and stiffened body, his whole musculature was highly contracted, in an attempt of controlling his emotions together with his actions.

The girl just stayed there, with her lips slightly parted, and doe-eyes steadily locked in his. Then she blinked several times, as waking up from a dream. "I can't do this, I really can't." then the girl turned around for the final time, as he had no other way to stop her and the man looked as the brightest witch of her age left him for the final time.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

And here it comes, the last chapter. Thank you for reading all the way till now.

 **Chapter 27:**

He had always hated the Leaving Feast, even when Slytherin was victorious, before Potter's arrival. But this time it took him a tremendous amount of effort to drag his body to the high table, and not only because of his headache almost killing him, product of a night-up drinking, no, it was because of her. The lioness proudly sitting at the Gryffindor table, completely aware her house has, once again, won the Cup of the Houses.

McGonagall had just stood up to give a speech, but he couldn't care less, his eyes focused on a stone brick right in the opposite wall, fascinating, indeed, there was no other place or person in the room he would rather stare at.

He lost track of time, and cups of coffee, before he had realized everything was over, he didn't even notice Professor Sprout remarking how next year the other houses would finally stand a chance to win. No, that stone brick meant the world to him till it was over.

All students had gotten up and thrown her tunics up, or even thrown themselves to the arms of the closest person in celebration, all students, including her. In the arms of Potter. He smirked; it was almost like his destiny was to always look at the women he loved in the arms of a Potter… Just how big were the odds? Then he realized Weasley was actually shaking hands with her, off… but whatever he repeated once again before drinking the rest of his coffee and leaving the place. He was going to have his own private celebration in his room.

He hadn't actually had the intention of getting particularly drunk; he just needed something else to do, to think of, for the remaining five hours; once the train had gone he could go back to his own place in London and spend his time in God knows what because for the first time in forever he didn't have to work his free time neither for Voldemort nor Dumbledore.

Sitting in his office, and just about to go to bed, though he had the impression of it still being noon, a brilliant idea hit him, one of those you have when you less need them; let's read all letters from Dumbledore. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk; revealing the pile and blindly picked one… it was about Potter, of course, all of them were about Potter, even if disguised with other names. But, this was the thing; in some of the cases Potter was not alone, no, he was with her, and so the minutes became hours and he had almost read the whole pile for the moment there was a knock on his door. He froze.

KOCK KNOCK.

Judging by the time it had to be a professor, most likely McGonagall… he tried to verify how drunk he truly was by standing up and checking if the floor was moving. It did, but just a bit, enough for him to walk, but instead of walking to the door he actually walked towards one of his cabinets with a calm pace and selected from all the bottles a small flask with a blue liquid inside while the door was being knocked a third time. McGonagall could wait, because right now he needed to get sober if he intended to face his boss.

Finally, once the potion had gotten into his system everything became clearer and the knocking stopped feeling like a brick to his head. So just as slowly as he had moved to the cabinet, he approached the door and with an abrupt and fierce movement he opened it all at once with his other hand pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed to the feeling of the headache finally abandoning him.

"What is it…?"

"Are you all right?" His heart stopped, and he opened his eyes to find in front of him no other than Hermione Granger herself. "Perhaps… perhaps I should come in some other minute."

"…"

"I see, I definitely should come back later, you are not feeling well and… want me to help?"

"What on Merlin's beard are you doing here?" He turned around to check the clock in his wall; the train had most definitely left a long time ago. Just what the hell was the girl doing in his office? "What is happening?" He looked around, considering actually possible to be hallucinating because of the alcohol and the potion mixing together.

"I came to continue the conversation from yesterday night, remember?" She analyzed his expression; he was definitely not in his five senses. "Would you like me to notify Mrs. Pomfrey, sir? Or perhaps… leave you alone?"

"I-" he covered his face with his right hand and then took a deep breath. "I am perfectly fine, I just fail to understand what could you possibly be doing here, you should be on the train or in London or… anywhere but here."

"I already told you, I came here to talk. If possible, of course, I would not like to bother you. I think I can see why you are confused, perhaps I could explain… inside?" the girl exaggerated her eyes, in order of the man to understand she was asking for permission to go in.

"This can not be possibly happening again." He stood immovable, suffocating a scream.

"Or I could just explain you here, actually. I do not want to pressure you." He didn't move so she took it as a sign to continue talking right where she was "I forgive you for what you called me. I think… I actually think you got everything wrong, but the explanation would be too long, so I would actually say that I am here to make peace with you, and ask you to forgive me as well, I was the one who drugged you that night, and…" she continued talking but half his brain was still trying to process the setting, the potion was taking some time to fully recover him. "It is important for me to know that we are good, you know… now that we will be working together."

That he understood.

"Pardon me? What did you just say? Working together?" She chuckled a bit.

"I think I never actually got to tell you, but… you are looking at the soon to be transfiguration professor for first and second year." She was beaming, ever so proud. While him? He couldn't bring himself to close his mouth. "It has taken a lot of effort, but- uh!" Professor Snape had all of a sudden grabbed her by her arm and thrown her inside the office, right before closing the door behind him.

"What did you just say?" The girl caressed her own arm, shocked by the abrupt action and a bit afraid.

"Don't you remember? I had told you, Professor McGonagall had offered me a position as a teacher and I had taken it."

"But I thought-" he was interrupted.

"You thought that my decision would depend on you? Of course not, I had already made up my mind for that moment, I just… I just wanted to know how you felt about it, and since you clearly disliked the idea" she rolled her eyes to the floor "I decided it was better to not tell you, and… you know, take some distance." A heavy sigh overcame her "I can totally understand you don't want me in the castle, rather because I pressured you too much or because I will always be nothing but a student for you, but I hope we can both learn to co-exist with each other. I…" she finally stopped caressing her arm and looked back at him "I am actually looking forward working with you."

There were simply too many things he was not understanding.

"What about the Weasley boy?"

"Ron?" she smiled but her eyes were actually sad "Well… I guess taking some actual distance from him will be good for our friendship, since… how should I say it? I wouldn't like him to misunderstand things again." She paused "But, never mind me, I am sure you have better things to do than listen my explanations, so-"

"I don't." her eyes open and waiting "I want to know."

"Oh… if you really want to know, I guess what I am trying to say is- I am sorry, just how much would you like to know? Because this may actually take a bit of time." She tried to hide how truly happy it made her for him to show interest on her.

"All of it. I want to know all of it." He couldn't believe himself, just what was he getting himself into?

"Becoming a professor seems to be quite a difficult job, since professor McGonagall had actually given me a list of charms and potions I was supposed to master before my NEWTs, charms and potions she would be evaluating herself, and so I did my best to accomplish them: practice. I could certainly not do it during the day, since the Transfiguration Classroom was busy, so… I went to the requirements room." He listened carefully as many parts of the puzzle that the girl had been for the last couple months were finally falling into place in front of him. "So I went every night there to practice, it took a lot of physical and mental effort and so I had to stop attending some of my morning classes in order to accomplish the requirements for the job on time."

That could not be, he had seen her, he had seen her with Ronald Weasley that night, and many others in the map, she could not possibly be lying to his face. But he listened.

"The hardest parts were the ones involving the transfiguration of real people, I was supposed to transform humans into mice, cats, birds and even a fish, that one was most definitely the hardest one. And let me tell you why it was the most difficult one, nobody would volunteer to become a fish… or my guinea pig for such matter, nobody… but Ron." For this moment her face had colored with a light pink. "he felt terrible for what he had done to me so he actually acceded to do whatever I wanted him to do, you should have seen his face when I failed to properly transform him into a mouse." She giggled, oh, just how much he had missed her giggle. "but then… he confused things, it seems as asking for help and spending so much time together led him to think I was actually interested in more than a friendship and so, one night…"

He gulped, this was getting uncomfortable once again, was this the part in which they became a couple?

"He confused everything and kissed me in the requirements room, I…" she couldn't look Snape in the eyes, she was simply too embarrassed."I didn't know how to react at first, I was really not expecting that to happen, and after he had well-hum-" she cleared her throat "tried to go a bit too far I kind of… slap him in the face?" she shyly directed him a smile while playfully biting her lower lip. "You were not the first one that night."

So that is what he had seen in her memories, the girl some minutes prior slapping the boy just as she had done with himself a few moments later.

"I was so done with everything that night, so done with the night ups working, with the gossips about me that I was clearly aware of, with Ronald, with the transfiguration practice and then… just when I was heading back to finally have some rest I found you, or better to say you found me. I… I'd like to apologize for that too, sir, I am sorry, I should have not slapped you, but it had just been-"

"Too much. I understand." Having all that into consideration, he was actually grateful for her reaction to have consisted of no more than a slap to the face.

"You do?" She smiled. How she missed how actually comprehensive he could be.

"And so… I finally mastered everything I had to in order to become the next transfiguration professor, I am really sorry I couldn't talk with you last night, but Professor McGonagall had placed her examination of my abilities for this morning just before the Leaving Feast so I could board the train in case I failed."

So optimistic.

"But I passed… and so here I am. In the castle, with you." His mouth fell open and she was quick to add "I mean! Physically in here! I know… I know you are not interested in me in any other way, and I can totally understand that, I have passed the last couple months thinking about it, looking for reasons to hate you, but… I think it is already time to let go, we are both mature enough to continue with our lives as colleagues… right?" the girl offered him her hand, as a sign of peace. But he didn't take it.

"You have no idea…" she retired her hand, embarrassed. "… You have no idea what you got yourself into."

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think there are no young teachers in this castle, Miss Granger? Why do you think I told you to leave?" his voice had gone from fierce bite to cold and distant, hissing through his teeth as a threat, and causing her goose bumps.

"… Because you may like me for a few moments, but not for… I-I really don't know, I actually had thought a lot about it, but I think I really don't want to know, so please don't tell me. I really rather not to know why-"

"This castle is a prison. Don't you notice? You spend half of your time inside a classroom full of kids who also hate being in here, you spend ALL of your time inside these walls, with only two months left to go back to the real world, and let me tell you something, Granger, if you thought this was going to be some amazing adventure just as fascinating and exciting as your life as a student was I will let you know how wrong you are, because there are no more friends, no more teachers to defend you, no more free time, no more-"

"But I will have you." Her attitude just as secure and confident as ever.

"… That is different, Granger, don't even try to compare me with those-"

"And I will have Professor McGonagall, and… Harry and Ron may be out of the castle, but… don't you see?" she had moved closer, with him flinching, her physical approach never ending well. "Hogwarts is my home. Of course I want to stay in here, even if it is alone, just let me have the chance, you don't know for sure, I may actually enjoy the experience, just… let me try it."

"You will sorely regret your decision. Give it a few months."

"Maybe I will, but it had already been taken." She glanced at the clock to check the time and then sighed placing a hand in the man's arm, raising in her tip toes for what she considered the final time and kissed him softly in the cheek. "Good evening, Professor Snape."

She let go of his arm and marched to the door.

"Severus." With her hand already placed in the door knob she turned at the pronunciation of his name "I am no longer your teacher, furthermore… Severus." With a beaming smile, she answered him.

"Good evening, Severus." The door made a soft creaking sound when opened, only to be slammed closed inches away from her face, when she had attempted to turn around, scared and surprised looking for an explanation for this, she only found his lips fiercely pressed against hers.

Each of his hands to either side of her head, with the left one preventing the door from opening, he had trapped her between the entrance and his own body. A bunch of emotions overwhelmed her, the shock, the fear, the confusion, but among all of them there was one that rose over: relief.

After the longest kiss they had ever shared, with their lips simply pressing, he finally retreated and looked her in the eye, waiting.

"… No slaps this time?" Instead of verbally answering, the currently ex Gryffindor student caught him by the neck and dragged him down into a second kiss, shorter than the previous one, but way more passionate now that both of them seemed to have gotten rid of their fears.

"I thought you wanted me to leave." Her hands still in his neck, caressing the sensitive spot behind his ears.

"I tried to warn you. But since you are clearly committed to ruin your own life I have nothing else but to say… stay." He wondered if this new somehow romantic version of himself was possibly a consequence of the amount of alcohol in his system not so long ago.

"I am already staying."

"No," together with the awkward feeling of opening up his heart to the girl, there was a second thought by the line of his unexpected courage. Every single previous time it had been her who had given the first step; it felt out of place to be him. He kicked the embarrassment menacing to grow and finally added "Stay… with me."

"You mean… "She waited for him to complete the sentence, but it had been enough, he couldn't bring himself to do it, what if she had realized that pursuing a relationship with the man who had called her a whore was pointless? Lucky for him, it was her who finally finished "in here?"

"In here, in the castle, in my office, in the requirements room, you name it, witch, I may even accompany you to McGonagall's, just stay." She chuckled a bit and let go of his neck and hair, actually worrying him.

"Severus Snape, are you formally asking me to be your girlfriend and let Professor Mcgonagall know about us?" His upper lip flinched to the idea.

"I do not have girlfriends, Miss Granger."

"Hermione."

"I do not have girlfriends… HERMIONE." His voice full of sarcasm. "I am not a teenager looking for a date for the coming prom."

"Then what would you call me?" feeling herself reassured by his surprising expressions of love, she ventured to place her hands in his chest. "A friend?"

"I would say it is too soon to give you a name." she opened her mouth, but was interrupted by the man tilting slightly his head and raising just one eyebrow, a gesture that together with his following words made her shudder "but I could certainly offer you other things."

Her face became so red it was impossible for him to not notice.

"I can see your mind is just as quick to jump into conclusions as ever…"

"No, I was not-"The girl moved around her hands, trying to excuse herself, but her right was caught in the air by his left.

"Granger."

"Stop calling me Granger, it's Hermione. Her. Mi. O-" her mouth was not done articulating the final sound when his mouth caught her by surprise, not only because of the unexpected feeling of his tongue against hers, but because of the sensation of his free arm around her waist, pressing her against his own body.

"Seven years after and you still don't know when to shut your mouth." It was all he could mutter inches away of her lips before being caught again in the kiss.

What followed was a combination of a fight and an almost coordinated dance; both of them moving through the office, occasionally tripping over something or kicking small things, such as the coffee table itself, with his cloak and her jumper remaining on some part of the floor. Till she got to the desk and placed herself on the surface.

"No, down." the expression of shock and disappointment in her face was priceless. "My desk has already had enough." Making use of his strength developed by years as a double agent the Potions Master lifted her from it, with the girl's limbs flying to cling to his body, in an attempt to not fall. The wall stone next to them rumbled, revealing his chambers.

"Can I really…?"

"At this point, do as you please." The girl had barely let go of his shoulders to touch the ground, shyly approaching the bed. He was amused by the vision of the girl contemplating his bed as if she was still asking for permission, that at least till he saw her eyes, full of determination. With those same eyes it was that she sat on his bed while taking off her shirt, clearly inviting him. "Why do I have the feeling you are somehow re-acting some wicked fantasy of you?"

"I don't know, you tell me." The girl used her right foot to get rid of her left shoe, while discarding her shirt, only to reveal a second one beneath the first one. "Not all ex-students have the privilege to be in here, so this may as well be a quite popular fantasy." He smirked, aware there were most likely no other students with such a thing.

"Then lucky you, I guess." Taking his time, the man approached her and rose the second piece of fabric over her head, only to kiss her half the way with the shirt still tangled in her arms. The pressure of him forced her down in the bed, with his kisses following the delicate line of her neck, all the way to her breasts, and it only took his fingers a few minutes to find their way up her thighs, with his last words repeating over and over again in her mind 'lucky me'.

He felt her body trembling and quivering beneath his touch, paying close attention to every sound and movement made by the girl, controlling himself, the pressure and the speed. As previously stated, Severus Snape was not a patient man, at least not for stupid mistakes done during his lesson, but he could certainly wait hours for the paint to dry if it meant proving himself correct. And this, this was one of those cases. He could've waited for hours, days or weeks if it implied feeling her already free hands in his hair and the exquisite sound of her moans. But it certainly didn't take that long.

Just a few minutes later the girl had finally finished shuddering behind him, while trying to catch her own breathe.

"Perhaps we should give 'this' as finished, I would not be mad if you-"

"NO!" that threat was all it took for the girl to recover and stare up at him. Fearing for the man to repent and kick her out his bedroom. "Don't you dare, Severus."

He simply raised his hands innocently "It was a simple suggestion." She didn't answer; the girl directly grabbed him by the collar of his coat and dragged him down with her. From this point things went smoothly between them, with the security and confidence of both feeling equally reciprocated. This, something none of them were expecting to ever happen when they first met each other, and had doubted in all the possible ways along the whole last year was actually happening, against all odds. This night, was, by fact, the first night in months that Hermione didn't have to worry about time, about attenting his early lessons the next morning, about reaching any standards. She could finally relax.

She was awaken the next morning with a soft touch in her hair, his fingers slightly caressing her. For a few instances the girl actually panicked, disoriented by the place, only to realize seconds later that everything had actually happened, and she was lying in no other place but Severus Snape's bed.

"McGonagall must be wondering why two teachers of her staff are missing the last and by her own words 'most important' meeting of the year." She was quick to sit on the bed, no worrying to cover any part of herself, with her heart racing in fear for his words. He chuckled. "Now that you are awake… it is Saturday. The meeting is in two days."

The girl directed him a death glare and now took time to grab the sheet and cover her breasts.

"Have you always been like this or will you start bullying me once again like in the old days?" The girl was unsure if the gesture of his mouth was more of a smirk or a sneer.

"Don't act like you don't know me and don't expect any special treatment. Just wait for the school year to begin and the staff meetings to take place… I have found a new target, Filius will surely thank you." Her mouth opened, actually surprised by his comment; was he planning to direct all his scathing comments to her in order to cover their relationship up? "That, of course, given you insist, against all good judgment, to stay." She knew the real meaning for the word 'stay', it was not about the job, it was not about the castle, it was all about them.

"I stayed, didn't I?"

He waited for a few seconds and then Hermione saw for the first time in her life her former professor smile out of happiness, it was not a sneer, nor a smirk, it was a real and honest smile.

"Yes, you did."

-

 **I am sorry if you were expecting some more elaborated description of the final scene, but I have no creativity or ability to describe such a scene, at least not in details. I'd also like to comment that even when this is the last chapter there should be an epilogue soon enough, in order to bring 'closure' to some small aspects that have not been resoluted yet.**


	28. Epilogue

**Disclaimer** : All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Despite the main story has finished, I considered an epilogue to be necessary in order to bring a better closure to some details.

 **EPILOGUE:**

It had already been one month since the departure, since Hermione had decided to stay in the castle, and say good bye to both of her best friends; reason why the four of them, including Ginny were currently sitting at a big table in a corner of the very well known Leaky Cauldron at Diagon Alley.

They had been laughing and sharing stories of these 36 days apart from each other, with both boys preparing for their new job as aurors. Yes, the two of them had approved their NEWTs, at least approved them enough as to meet the Ministry Standards, though Hermione suspected they had lowered them at least for Ron. Meanwhile the girl? She had not just got the highest mark in Transfigurations, as it was all she needed; no, she had gotten the highest marks in all of her NEWTs, with no exceptions, reason why half of the staff was both excited and disappointed as a consequence of their poor investment in the gambling game.

"So, Hermione… Again, are you sure you want to stay in Hogwarts? With those marks you could easily become an auror or any other position in the Ministry." Ron exclaimed, still not convinced by her sudden decision to stay. She calmly shook his head.

"Thank you, Ron, but I am really happy with my job as a teacher, even though it has not started yet." The girl took a sip of her beverage, trying to avoid the attention currently directed to her.

"Yes, but you said it, it has not started yet, what if you hate it when it begins? Besides, isn't it weird? You will be working with Professor McGonagall and Snape, and since you are not allowed to exactly make friends with students, won't you feel… you know, lonely?" The brunette almost choked with her drink, and cleaned her mouth with a napkin while recovering the air to speak; luckily it was not necessary, since Ginny covered her back.

"Uuugh, aren't you paying any attention, Ron? Hermione said she has a special someone like 20 minutes ago in this conversation, she is clearly not feeling lonely… at all." Hermione caught by the corner of her eye the small smirk showing in Ginny's lips.

"I listened but I guess that is the worst part, whoever you are dating must be from out of the castle, and in less than a month you will have to stay 24/7 at Hogwarts, won't you miss him?" Harry had to cover his mouth in order to not laugh, Ron was definitely not following the conversation.

"Oh…" Hermione carefully moved her drink away from herself, as a self preservation method "He will actually be attending Hogwarts as well."

"For Merlin's sake! Hermione! Are you dating a student?! Do I know him? Is he from seventh year? That is so-" Harry had to kick Ginny under the table so the girl would not chuckle.

"Oh no, he is not- I mean, you definitely know him, but he is not a student. He is… he is actually coming to pick me, so…" for this Harry couldn't hold himself.

"Is he? Really? Is your 'friend' coming to get you here with all of us in the room?" though the question was directed to Hermione his eyes were looking at Ron.

"He actually asked me if he could come pick me. I offered him to come and sit with us but he refused, he…" she took a deep breath, trying to still keep it a secret for Ron "he is really respectful of privacy."

"Oh, I bet he is." Ginny rolled her eyes and placed them on her own drink while muttering "Good thing he didn't want to come, that would have been awkward…"

"Why awkward? Do you two know who he is and are avoiding telling me? Is this because Hermione and I were in a relationship? Because I am totally cool with this, seriously, whoever this boy is I am sure he is a nice person if he won Mione's heart." His hand covered his own, as trying to show the others he was being sincere.

"It is not that… he actually asked me to specifically not tell you."

"What? Why not me? That is not fair, I am just your friend, why would there be any difference?" In spite of acting 'cool' it was easy to notice he was both; nervous and outraged. But most specifically and overall: curious.

"He must want to see the look of your face." Ginny had no problem in saying out loud what Hermione and Harry were currently thinking. "That sounds like him."

"Yes, it is exactly that." She checked her muggle watch for the third time that afternoon "he should be about to come." Her heart was growing in both: anticipation and nervousness.

"It is still early, Mione, will you be leaving? Couldn't you two stay for a bit?" Ginny's words seemed honest, free of any sarcasm or mocking.

"I would love to, and I am sure he wouldn't mind, but… this is actually our first date out of Hogwarts and I am looking forward to show him the muggle world so we will be leaving the minute he gets here." The girl's lips curled in a smile, actually happy for the setting.

"Aha!" Ron exclaimed "So he is a pure blood! A pure blood student from Hogwarts… Is it Neville? Oh my- Hermione, are you dating Neville?" The girl chuckled; the idea seemed hilarious for her.

"What? Of course not, Ron! Neville is just a friend, but yes, he will actually be coming to Hogwarts, Professor Sprout told me the other day he was thinking in conducting a research and in order to accomplish the necessary ingredients he would be attending Hogwarts for the-" She stopped talking when she noticed the look in Ron's face, a strange mixture of shock and disgust while looking towards the entrance. Could it be?

"What is Snape doing here?" Hermione's heart almost jumped out her mouth and her face lost any color, she had been preparing for this moment, but with Ron being all sneaky about it she feared it could end badly. She couldn't help but stand up and turn to see the man looking around the room clearly in search of her. Till he saw her.

Professor Snape strode through the room holding a bag and a rather big package in his left arm, Hermione's eyes were unsure if to place in his blank expression or the unknown packets; he hadn't mentioned anything like it before, just what was her man planning? She feared for the contents.

For the moment Snape was just one step away from the still standing girl, Harry and Ginny were almost dying in contemplation, waiting for anything to happen, and of course, ready to control the situation in any possible way. But it was not necessary, at least not for now, since the man simply nodded his head towards Hermione and muttered.

"Hermione."

It took her a few seconds to react, still unsure if to greet him with a kiss, but considering he had avoided it, she simply replied. "Severus."

"My apologies for the interruption," Ron seemed to be having a hard time trying to process everything. It was now that he nodded as a greeting to the three of the remaining persons in the table, with Hermione fidgeting with her fingers.

"Hi, professor Snape!" it was actually Harry the first one to answer, followed by Ginny.

"No need to call me Professor, Mister Potter. I am not longer your teacher." Hermione had a quick flash back of the night the man had told her the exact same words and shivered.

"Then please call me Harry, sir." The boy stood to offer the man his hand, for which Snape actually placed the bag on the table in order to properly take his offer. "It is good to see you again."

"Ginny would be good for me, sir." The red head didn't offer him her hand, which was actually for the best considering his response.

"Not you, Miss Weasley, I still have to see you in classes. Professor Snape is still suitable for you." The girl didn't seem to mind, actually smiling at him.

"That seems fair."

Hermione couldn't believe what was happening, everything was going just fine, the three of them seemed to actually be working together. Of course, with the exception of Ron who still couldn't get to accept the clear explanation for it.

"I am sorry, but… what is happening? Am I missing something?"

"I believe you do, Mister Weasley. That is, at least, if Hermione had followed my requests, and judging by your complete lack of words and clear disorientation she has." It was now that he turned to see the still bewildered woman next to him and carefully embraced her by the waist. Ron tensed and his right hand closed in a punch, preparing to defend his friend when… "I am here for my sweetheart; she will be, by her own words, introducing me to the mesmerizing beauty of the muggle world." Not only Ron's jaw fell, but Harry's and Ginnys' as well, none of them expecting the man to do such a thing together with such a word, meanwhile Hermione looked at him in surprise by the selection of the word 'sweetheart' never used before by him, not that she could hear.

Then, he waited. He waited for all of the information to finally settle in Ronald's brain and express through his face. It was priceless, everything he had expected and more, and then… the boy finally shouted.

"WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?!" his eyes flew to Hermione who was still contemplating the older man "Hermione? Please, please tell me this is some kind of wicked joke… is this because of what I did to you? Is this really Snape or Neville with a polyjuice potion? Did you pay him? How much did you pay him?"

Snape smirked and raised an eyebrow, visibly amused.

"Fascinating speculations, Mister Weasley… But I assure you I am the real me." The boy opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted "And no, I have not drugged her as I am sure you are thinking now." The Gryffindor was close to shut his mouth. "I do not appeal to such low schemes… not like others." He shut his mouth at the feeling of the girl's foot stomping over his. "Pardon me, that was highly inappropriate of me as my woman has just let me know through a painful but effective kick to my leg…"

Harry and Ginny giggled, they had never expected their friends' relationship to be so funny.

"Well… you have already had enough fun, we should get leaving, Severus." Ron's mouth falling open once again.

"Not yet, honey. I actually have come with a purpose other than unsettling Mister Weasley to his death." Ron ignored the comment, still waiting for Hermione to say everything was a lie. While Hermione waited for the man to explain, since she had found out a long time ago he was just as unpredictable as herself. "I brought presents."

"What?" it was the general question, but it certainly explained the packages.

"This." Snape reached the biggest package to Ginny's grasp, who took it a bit hesitantly. "Is for Miss Weasley, for helping **my** Hermione through all this hell of a year she had. I have no doubt she would have gone insane without you listening all her whimpers, as I am now the one who has to go through it." He rejoiced with the feeling that referring to the Gryffindor as 'his' meant.

Ginny accepted the big package and looked at the man before opening it with much care.

"It is not dangerous, witch, you are still a student, and I assure you I hold no intention of McGonagall firing me, at least not now." Once half of the wrapping paper was ripped the content was clear; a broom. "I believe you pursue a career as a professional quidditch player, and so I thought the appropriate equipment to be required, something to help you level up against my own house. Good luck."

When Ginny finally finished taking the paper her jaw fell open for the eleventh time of that afternoon. "I cannot accept this."

"And why would that be?"

"This is the best and furthermore most expensive broom in the market. It was released just two days ago, only professionals have it. This must have cost you a month salary." Everybody was shocked, even Snape but for different reasons.

"I am surprised by your assumption of my salary, Miss Weasley… really, how much do you think us teachers are paid?" his words clearly ricocheting in Hermione. "You may not know it, but the amount of money we are paid is actually nonsensical as we are provided with everything we need by the castle itself… so all my salary, as low as you seem to believe it is, goes directly to a bank account. I have no use for it, other than spoiling myself once a year, so please take it. Your effort was worth it."

Ginny looked at Hermione for confirmation and when the brunette nodded she finally embraced the broom beaming. "Thank you, thank you so much, I swear I will crush Slytherin this season."

"I hardly think so." Now, he reached for the bag; retrieving a box from inside and offering it to Harry "This is for… Harry." The effort clear in his tone. "For worrying for Hermione not only through this last year, but through all the dangers he, himself, got her into." Harry actually avoided his eyes, knowing he was right. "I thank you not only for that, but for risking yourself to help her, not just against Voldermort but by daring to confront me twice."

The boy was unsure if to be thankful yet, so he decided to first open the box. Inside of it there was a stack of letters.

"I know you to be highly sentimental, and so I thought you may like to have these…" Harry took a couple of them and checked the names; all of them had Dumbledore or Snape as remitter. "None of them has your name on it, though all of them are about you… Dumbledore's brilliant ideas to keep you safe. I trust you will be clever enough to figure out who is who." The boy was actually moved by the gesture, maybe Hermione was right and Snape was, indeed, the best man the three of them had ever known.

"But sir… won't you need them?"

"I think it is already time for me to let go, but there are certainly some things in those letters, some deeper meanings written by Albus that were surely destined for you and not me. You just will have to riddle the puzzles, and feel free to write me if you have doubts about the secret meanings of any of my own letters." Harry nodded while holding one which started with ' _Dear Severus, I entrust you with the mission of keeping an eye on my young phoenix, I fear he might-'_

Ron was still sitting in the same spot with a completely blank expression, convinced that this was all a dream. Then, Snape faced him.

"And this… the last and most valuable present I have." The man held in his hand a small bottle which was offered to the boy. He didn't take it for the first twenty seconds, but not because he didn't want to, but because he was still incapable of believing it. "Easy, Weasley, it is not poison, but quite the opposite."

Hermione's eyes widened when they saw the content. "Oh no, you didn't…" with the biggest of the smirks Hermione had ever seen him he started.

"This is for Ronald Weasley, for so many things I even made a list of" Harry and Ginny looked at each other aware this meant no good "Starting with his impressive abilities at being such a disastrous boyfriend you even managed to get Hermione, the kindest of the witches, bored of y-" he felt a second stomp on his foot, but continued "I also thank you for failing so badly at providing a potion that you got your target to fall for me and not once but twi-" a third stomp on his foot, way harder than the previous one "-twice… " he simply gave the brunette a glare, acknowledging her discomfort, but plainly ignoring it to continue "and more importantly, for being such a poor excuse of a man that you decided to fail this woman's trust so many times in a way I am positive I, right now, owe you for all my happiness." Hermione stopped her fourth attack, actually surprised and moved by his word selection. "I owe you such much, Ronald Weasley… and so, I offer you this; enough Felix Felicis to have the best of the lucks for at least one week, because that is what I wish for you… the best of the lucks."

Ron was unsure if to feel insulted or thankful, with the bottle full of the golden liquid in his hands, this was way bigger than the one previously provided by Professor Slughorn.

"It should have taken you a lot of time." Hermione was still mesmerized by the content.

"A year to be exact, it was intended to be used in classes, but… you will need it more than me or any student in that class. Now." He reached for the woman's hand and held it up for the three of the others to see. "If you are done, **love** , we probably should get leaving as you had previously stated." The brunette seemed to finally return to Earth, particularly by the way he had called her 'love' she mentally repeated, another word he had never used before to refer to her.

"Oh, yes, sure… darling." She ventured. "We should get going if we want to get to the theatre on time."

There were no words that could credit what Ron was beholding through the bottle; his former potions professor holding his former lover by the hand, embracing her by the waist, hugging goodbye his best friend and politely shaking hands with his sister. No, this could not be. This was impossible. This was…

"Ron." Hermione's voice soft and comforting "We are leaving…" she looked up at the man and then leaned down to kiss the boy in the cheek "it was good seeing you, I will owl you soon, maybe we could see each other some other time before the school term begins." He didn't answer, still trying to process this as reality.

"Sure, Mione, and feel free to come too, s- I mean, Severus." Harry was the last to speak as the happy couple left the shop by the main door. Then, and only then Ron recovered his voice.

"… what did just happen?" Ginny rolled her eyes and both of them needed the rest of the day to explain the boy a whole year.

Meanwhile, Hermione held proudly Snape's hand in hers while walking down a street "Severus."

"Yes?"

"Was I in those letters that you gave Harry?" she could never stop thinking of her as the queen; she needed to know if she was correct.

"… Yes, you were in some of them." He took some time.

"What did you mean by puzzles? Were they riddles, or metaphors, or-?"

"Do you want to know your code names, Mione? I know well enough you read them, at least one of them, you wouldn't be asking otherwise." She smiled for herself, delighted by how much he knew her.

"Yes, I would like to know my code names, please."

"Depending on the writer, you had different names… if the letter was written by Dumbledore and the theme was chess then you were a white tower."

"A white tower?" did she get everything wrong? Then who was the queen? "Why?"

"Because Dumbledore organized his code names based on the person's personality. Towers move straight, with a clear and visible objective, they follow instructions… like you. Funny thing, he represented me as a tower as well, implying both of our personalities are alike." With that being the case it made sense, so she simply nodded "But then… there were my letters." Her head popped up, and her grab of his hand tensed, expecting for the man to look back at her, but he did not "My letters were organized in a different way, based on the person's ability… in the chess analogy Potter was the king, because he had great power, but always limited."

"What about you?" she already knew the answer, but wanted to know the reason.

"A pawn…" his fingers stiffened "I could only move where and when I was told to move, ever restricted."

"And… what about me? Was I a pawn, too?" he chuckled.

"You read my letter from Malfoy Manor, didn't you, witch?" her cheeks became red in embarrassment, how was it he always knew everything? "In your seven years at Hogwarts you always conceited in knowing the rules… but you always did what you wanted, stealing my ingredients, setting my cloak on fire, starting a goddamned army, and yet the one who always got in troubles was Potter… all of those movements in complete freedom along the board, you were always a queen to my eyes." Only then he looked at her, and struggled to think how sad it would have been if she had never gotten to hear that confession, at least that is how it sounded for her.

"I love you too." He blinked several times in confusion.

"I never said-"

"I love you too." She rose in her tip toes and kissed him before pulling apart "Come on, the movie is about to begin, we should hurry." Her pace doubled in speed.

"Always doing whatever you want… queen."

* * *

 **I think this is it, finally over. I hope you had enjoyed this epilogue together with the story. Thank you for reading so far.**


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